Published: March 22, 2008 12:49 am         

Vigo Schools director set to retire

TERRE HAUTE — The Vigo County School Corp.’s director of secondary education will retire as early as July.

Charles Mytron Lisby, 57, ends 21 years with the school corporation, including the past 14 in his present position.

Superintendent of schools Dan Tanoos will recommend Lisby be replaced by Michael A. “Mick” Newport, principal of Terre Haute North Vigo High School.

Tanoos said Friday he will make that recommendation on Monday to the Vigo County School Board. The board will vote on the matter.

Tanoos said Lisby will retire no earlier than July 1 and no later than July 1, 2009, Tanoos said.

Lisby started in 1987 as principal at Terre Haute North Vigo High School for seven years.

“I plan to seek employment in Florida. I have always anticipated that I would work until I was 65 or 66,” Lisby said. “My wife and I thought for a long time we’d end up in Florida at some point and now is the time to make that move and we are looking forward to it.

“My wife’s parents lived there a long time. They are deceased now, but we have a brother that is not far away and our youngest daughter is about three hours away,” Lisby said of the Winter Haven area, about 50 miles south of Orlando, where he is looking to move.

Lisby said he has had discussions with the Polk County School District about employment.

Tanoos said he told the staff at Terre Haute North earlier this week about his recommendation of Newport.

“I will send out a letter and e-mail to all administrators letting them know I will be recommending [Newport] to be director of secondary education upon [Lisby’s] leave and anyone interested in the principalship at Terre Haute North should notify me by next Friday,” Tanoos said.

“I will look at that list of people and see who best fits best into that piece of the puzzle and if it is someone locally, fine, if it is not someone locally, then we will begin to do a search,” Tanoos said.

“I thought that it was good to go through the process of picking the right person to make the transition of Mike into the new director of secondary education because Mike has been a phenomenal leader, not only in the school system, but really in our community,” Tanoos said.

“I think it is important that there be as much time as possible to transition into all the things that Mytron is doing.”



Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.