By Jef Rietsma
Kristin Flynn, Schoolcraft High School principal, has resigned to take a position with Michigan Virtual University (MVU).
Members of the district’s board of education accepted her resignation on Oct. 13. Subsequently, former Upper Elementary School Principal Doug Ryskamp who retired in 2013 was asked to oversee the high school on an interim basis.
The 44-year-old Flynn, whose last day was Oct. 31, said she will serve as director of curriculum and instruction with the Lansing-based MVU. Established in 1998, the Internet-based program offers many benefits, including allowing students in fifth through twelfth grades to conduct credit recovery following an extended absence from school, said Flynn. It also allows students to take classes not offered at their school districts.
“It’s a great opportunity for me and it means I will have more flexibility to be with my family,” said Flynn, whose 14- and 12-year-old sons and 10-year-old daughter attend Schoolcraft Community Schools.
“We happen to be one of the school districts that started offering MVU early on, so the people in Lansing are very familiar with Schoolcraft in that sense,” she said. Though her new job will be in Lansing, Flynn said she will have the luxury of working from home a few days a week.
During the Oct. 13 board meeting, Schoolcraft Superintendent Rusty Stitt said Flynn bleeds purple and gold, and her impending departure will be a tough loss.
“When we looked at hiring a high school person, she fit the bill and has certainly exceeded my expectations,” Stitt said. “She won the staff over right away. She has some great qualities as a person that we see in her leadership and has done a whale of a job here at Schoolcraft High School.”
Flynn, whose salary in Schoolcraft was about $89,000 a year, came to Schoolcraft in 2012 after serving three years as assistant superintendent of Gull Lake Community Schools. Prior to that, she spent seven years as principal at Eastside Elementary in Constantine. She started her career in education as an English teacher at Vicksburg High School.
Flynn said she enjoyed her time in Schoolcraft and leaves with a heavy heart. “I feel like I have given my heart and soul,” she said. “I was so fortunate to work with some amazing educators and in a community with great parents and great students.”
Stitt said the board hopes to have a new principal on board by the first of the year.
In January, Flynn retired from the Michigan Air National Guard as a major following a 22-year career with the Guard, during which she served at President Ford’s funeral in 2006.