School City of Mishawaka appoints acting superintendent

For the second time in four years, School City of Mishawaka is looking for a superintendent. For now, there's a temporary fix. The board agreed to appoint Dan Towner as Acting Superintendent.

Towner will act as superintendent starting immediately, and that will last through July, while the board starts their search for a full time superintendent. Former superintendent Dr. Terry Barker retired after four years on the job.

The new superintendent will have finances to fix. The school board is working to rebuild some trust with one of the district's biggest concerns the handling money.

Back in November of 2013, the school system suffered a setback when voters struck down a $28 million referendum, leaving the schools with no money to pay for upgrades and repairs.

Since then, it has been an uphill battle, and the school board is now looking for a leader, someone to keep pushing the schools forward, and communication will be the key for the new superintendent.

"We want to have figures in the community, so the community feels comfortable addressing and getting involved with the school system themselves," says board president, Jeffrey Emmons.

Emmons feels positive about the direction of the school board and Mishawaka schools.