As Upper Arlington Schools launches a strategic planning process to envision our priorities and goals for the next three to five years, I feel excitement for our future and a great appreciation for the foundation that has been built here under our current strategic plan.

To better understand the progress that has been made under our current 2019-2024 Strategic Plan, you can look to the Quality Profile. Every year, we publish this annual accountability report to give our community a clear and transparent look at what’s happening in our schools.

On behalf of the Upper Arlington Board of Education and our entire staff, I would like to wish you a restful Thanksgiving holiday.  

Thanksgiving is always a great time to express your gratitude and love for others. It is also a time to reflect upon all that surrounds us every single day for which we should be thankful. Personally, I am very thankful for my family and friends. I am also thankful to live in this community, which is caring and supportive. 

In addition, as the superintendent of schools, I have many reasons to give thanks. I am grateful for a committed staff that continues to show up every single day doing everything they can to help and support young people. They not only share content knowledge and develop skills, but also care about the social and emotional development of our students. Regardless of position, there is a collective interest by our staff to attain our mission of challenging and supporting every student, every step of the way. 

I am thankful for our Board of Education, parents and community. Throughout my UAdventure, I have engaged in a conversation about our schools with hundreds of our stakeholders. I have been in every school building, invited into community groups, forums and homes to talk about our schools. Many themes have emerged that will serve as the foundation for our plan moving forward, but one that is consistent is that everyone cares about students and takes pride in our schools.

Finally, I am thankful for the students that we have the opportunity to serve every single day. We have incredible young people come into our school buildings each day, and it is a privilege to help them grow academically, socially and emotionally. 

Thank you for all that you do to support our students and staff. Happy Thanksgiving, Golden Bears.

In September, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) officially released the 2022-2023 annual school report cards. I’m pleased to share that Upper Arlington Schools is one of just eight districts in the state to earn a five-star overall rating as well as earning five stars in each of the five separate components on the report card: achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation and early literacy.

Our school district has been — and will continue to be — committed to the development of the whole child. So while this is a well-deserved recognition, we keep in mind that this is just one data point we review in our pursuit of challenging and supporting every student, every step of the way.

As we start the year, I have been reflecting on the values of our district — Start With Heart, Strength In Team and Contagious Drive. Our values are integral in everything we do in our schools each and every day, and they are even more important as we come back together in our schools. 

Since I became the superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools on July 1, I have witnessed these values firsthand, both in our schools and in the community. I have always known that Upper Arlington was a very special place, and I can’t tell you how happy my family and I are to be here.  We are already so impressed with the schools and the community.  

Today is a day I have been waiting for over the past several months — my first official day as the superintendent of the Upper Arlington Schools. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve this great school district and community and truly excited, along with my family, to become Golden Bears and to call this community our home. I am appreciative of the Board of Education, staff and community members that have stepped forward to help with my transition both personally and professionally.

As you may know, we have many new faces joining our team this year, both at the district level and in our school buildings. Over the past few months, much of my transition has focused on ensuring that we have the best possible candidates to fill any open positions on our team for the upcoming school year. We are continuing to monitor our growing enrollment and adjust our staffing levels accordingly. I am excited about the quality of the individuals joining our team, and I am looking forward to our students and families having the opportunity to meet them in August.

Superintendent Updates from Dr. Robert Hunt - July / August 2023 UAiNSIGHT

Over the past several months, as I have been working to transition to the role of the next superintendent of the Upper Arlington Schools, I have spoken with many people in this community about why it’s such a wonderful place. In those conversations, one thing almost always came up: the Fourth of July.  

I will officially become the superintendent of schools on July 1, and my family and I will experience our first Upper Arlington Fourth a few days later.