McAran to serve as interim superintendent for Morenci Public Schools

Former Tecumseh Public Schools Supt. Mike McAran’s first day of retirement was Monday, July 1. By the end of the day, he was interim superintendent of schools for the Morenci school district.“They contacted me last Monday [June 24], and I interviewed for the job last Wednesday [June 26],” McAran said. “I was hired last night [July1].” His last day on the job was Friday, June 28.McAran’s 12-hour retirement comes as no surprise to those who are aware of his 47 years of service to Lenawee County schools. Earlier in June, he had commented that he had no specific plans for retirement other than remaining active in the clubs in which he is a member and perhaps serving as a volunteer coach for Tecumseh football teams, if he is needed. Now, he said, he is committed for up to a year to help Morenci schools while the local school board searches for a permanent replacement for Supt. Dr. Michael Osborne, who was serving as joint superintendent for both Morenci Area Schools and Hudson Area Schools. Osborne will continue as superintendent for the Hudson schools.The transition from superintendent of Tecumseh Public Schools to superintendent of Morenci Area Schools will not be a stretch for McAran. He was principal of Sand Creek High School for 14 years, during which time he had occasion for frequent contact with Morenci schools both as superintendent and through regular sports contest attendance. McAran led Sand Creek High School from 1984 to 1998, before returning to TPS.Both Sand Creek and Morenci are in the Tri-County League, assuring athletic games and meets throughout the school year and the arrangements that they entail. “I’m very familiar with Morenci schools from my Sand Creek days,” McAran said. “I already know some of the board members and some of the teachers, too.”The difference in size between TPS and Morenci Area Schools should not prove to be a problem. Tecumseh’s student body, at approximately 3,000, is much larger than Morenci’s approximately 700 students. But his long association with Sand Creek provides a background in a smaller district that will serve him well as interim superintendent at Morenci.“I’m happy, and they’re happy with the arrangement,” McAran said of the agreement reached with the Morenci Board of Education.