Sayers to leave Amherst Schools in December

AMHERST — After 14 years as superintendent of the Amherst Schools, Steve Sayers is ready to bow out. His notice of resignation, effective at the end of the 2022 calendar year, was accepted Monday by the Board of Education. After "much thought, reflection and prayer over the past month," Sayers said he decided to retire, freeing up time for family and travel. "My wife and I started talking about it a month or so ago," he said. "And looking at where the district was in terms of planning for the future, we're about to start a facility planning process to prepare for growth here in Amherst. So from a district perspective, we thought it was a good time to transition." Personally, Sayers said he's reached a time in his life when he needs a more flexible schedule. His academic career started 35 years ago in the Keystone Schools, where he was a math teacher. Sayers soon found himself working as assistant principal and then principal at Midview, and in 2008 he took the reins from former Amherst Superintendent Bob Boynton. Board of Education President Rex Engle said Sayers inherited a number of problems, including a bleak financial picture. Soon after coming on board, he helped persuade voters to pass a 6.9-mill emergency operating levy to stave off significant cuts. It passed, helping to right the ship — a renewal of that levy at the same millage appears today on the primary election ballot. Former administrators "didn't feel it was their job" to champion levies that would have kept the Amherst Schools out of danger, school board President Rex Engle said. Sayers accepted that challenge; he suffered some early defeats, but his efforts have led to a decade of stability. That stability has largely been built on the consolidation of the district from six buildings to four to save on operating costs. Under Sayers' tenure, the former Shupe and Powers Elementary buildings have been torn down, replaced with new junior high and elementary buildings. Now, Amherst is one of the premier school districts in Lorain County due to Sayers' leadership, Engle said. "You really have done an outstanding job here in Amherst," school board member Teresa Gilles told Sayers. He shied from the credit, instead complimenting Amherst Schools staff. "I'm just so, so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people," he said. Sayers has been officially retired since January 2015, and he was rehired by the school board. Last February, the school board voted to extend him another three-year contract to serve as superintendent through July 31, 2024. The board, under then-President Ron Yacobozzi, credited Sayers with improving the district's academics, finances, facilities and technology. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.