Newman to fill in

Members of the Colon Community Schools Board of Education have selected Jay Newman as the district’s interim superintendent.

The veteran educator and Colon resident was chosen Tuesday from a field of four candidates.

Newman, 63, will fill in while the board looks for a successor to Lloyd Kirby, who decided over the summer to retire.

Newman, who will be paid $5,000 a month over a six-month period, served as principal of Colon Jr./Sr. High from 1986 to 1990. He eventually served as superintendent of the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District before retiring and forming his own consulting firm, Culture by Choice.

Board President Ernie Baker said the district will lean on Newman to help in its superintendent-selection process. He said Newman, a Colon resident, could be retained for the duration of the school year, depending on the 650-student district’s luck in finding an apt, full-time replacement.