After six years as BHS principal and three years on deck as assistant superintendent, it’s Bob Hardis’ turn at bat.

The Beachwood resident assumed the superintendency in June, following Dr. Richard Markwardt’s long-planned retirement from the district.

“[As principal,] he really cared about the students,” said Zach Davis, BHS Class of 2014. “I think he’ll do a great job.”

Hardis was principal for Davis’ freshman and sophomore years of high school.

Hardis and his wife have two children enrolled in Beachwood schools.

He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan, a master’s of education degree in secondary social studies from The George Washington University and a master’s of education degree in school leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

According to his official district biography, Hardis is enrolled in the Doctor of Management Program at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

The shift in power has been relatively seamless, Hardis explained.

“The transition process … has taken place over the last several years,” he said, explaining he had been preparing for the job since taking the role of assistant superintendent in 2012.

“Dr. Markwardt really worked very closely with me,” Hardis said. “I couldn’t ask for better.”

The increase in authority has taken some time to set in with Hardis, he admitted.

“It is incredibly humbling and sobering to know that … proverbially, the buck stops with you and no one else,” he said, citing the responsibility of making recommendations to the Beachwood Board of Education that, potentially, have dramatic consequences.

“The weight of those decisions becomes very, very real.”

In addition to growing more comfortable with his heightened level of command, staffing changes have occurred at the Board office to better accommodate Hardis.

Former Hilltop Elementary School Principal Linda LoGalbo has been named director of curriculum and instruction/human resources, while Ken Veon’s title has been adjusted to reflect a different area of focus: director of operations and technology. Hardis explained that these two positions take the place of an assistant superintendent.

“I wanted to find ways to, basically, leverage their talents in a way that would support me … and the district.”

In addition, building and grounds supervisor Jeff Smith’s contract was not renewed. Instead, Brian Koss has been hired to serve in a newly-created position as supervisor of facilities and grounds.

Doug Levin, district director of marketing and communications, resigned in mid-August. At the time of publication, a replacement had not been named.

English teacher and Beachwood Federation of Teachers President Evan Luzar sang high praise of Hardis in a Beachcomber interview conducted in May.

“No one could be better positioned to lead our district than Mr. Hardis,” Luzar said. “I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future.”

“As I imagined he would, he has already set a very positive and collaborative tone for the coming year,” Luzar wrote in a recent statement to The Beachcomber. “It seems to me that he and his staff are off to a great start.”

Lori Joyner, Hardis’ secretary during his tenure at BHS, said she feels he is the right choice to lead the schools.

“I think he’s going to take our district to another level,” Joyner said. She added that Hardis is “a natural.”

Senior Simón Perilla said he wants to see what Hardis’ tenure offers, and added that he has heard only complimentary remarks about him. “I think he’ll do a stellar job. It’s good to have fresh, new leadership.”

Those who will miss Markwardt’s managerial style should not fret, Hardis explained.

“Even going back to the time that I was high school principal, Dr. Markwardt and I found in each other that we think incredibly alike.”

“We both tend to be fairly linear in our thinking,” Hardis said.

“It wasn’t only that we came to the same decision, [but how we came to the decision]. … It was eerily similar in some cases.”

Hardis conceded that he is not without shortcomings. For one thing, he said he considers himself impatient.

“That is truly an attribute that I would like to work on,” he said, invoking Markwardt as a source of inspiration.

“Faced with a decision, I will often act very quickly. … It feels good to act quickly and put an issue to bed,” Hardis said, adding that such haste occasionally results in missed opportunities.

Markwardt, Hardis recalled, was typically more methodical.

While Hardis worked closely with Markwardt, he must now move forward with his own initiatives.

“This is not a district that has something broken that needs fixed,” he said.

For the time being, Hardis explained that he can’t allow performance of the schools to suffer during this transition phase.

“My mission is to maintain the success that we have and ensure that we’re on a steady trajectory to improve upon everything we already do very well.”

Hardis said his vision includes living up to the standards expected by the community.

“I want the perception of Beachwood to be … one where the respect paid to the individual importance of every kid is something that we are known for.”

At Beachwood, students can “craft their own school experience,” he said, adding that he feels this cannot be accomplished in larger districts.
With a series of long-term projects on the table, Hardis has a lengthy to-do list.

“One huge goal is to build the [BHS] auditorium so that it is something we can be really proud of.”

The auditorium has been closed to the public since the end of the 2012-2013 school year. In an August 2014 interview, Hardis said he anticipated the project to be completed prior to the start of the 2015-2016 school year. However, the renovation has not yet begun.

The district is also looking to enhance its athletic facilities, he said.

“We want to do that, not only to support our varsity sports, but also to … make our field spaces as functional as possible, so we can expand our youth athletic programming.”

Changes are also on the horizon for the district’s elementary schools. “[It’s] really only a matter of time,” he said.

The district could potentially make “massive renovations” on the dated Hilltop and Bryden buildings. Another proposed option is to consolidate all elementary education into the Fairmount Early Childhood Center building, which also houses the Board offices.

“These are major projects,” Hardis said. “They’re really exciting ones, though.”

He will also oversee the implementation of a district-wide school security plan, something Markwardt wanted to put into place prior to his retirement.

“[The] district will contract with the city to hire a full-time Beachwood police officer to serve as the school system’s Director of Security and to hire part-time Beachwood police to serve as security officers,” Hardis wrote in an Aug. 9 email to parents.

Hardis stressed that these will not be “school resource officers,” who tend to focus on internal issues in schools, such as drugs, gangs or student conflict.

These officers, Hardis said, will have an external focus; primarily, protecting students and staff. This initiative is not the result of any particular threat, he noted.

Hardis is left with a full plate for his first year as district top brass.

Despite his training, he said a learning curve remains. “I don’t know what I don’t know yet.”

“I think I’d have to be really naive to assume … that there won’t be challenges I didn’t anticipate.”