Skip to content

Licking R-VIII School District selects new superintendent

Photo submitted
Mrs. Telena Haneline will be the next superintendent of Licking R-VIII School District.

Licking R-VIII Supt. Office

Licking R-VIII School District’s Board of Education finalized interviews Monday evening, November 21, 2022. The Board of Education is pleased to announce the upcoming appointment of Mrs. Telena Haneline as the next Superintendent of Schools.

Mrs. Haneline will succeed Mrs. Cristina Wright, who is relocating at the end of the school year after five years of service in Licking. The Board expects to formally appoint Mrs. Haneline at its meeting on December 12.

The Board selected Mrs. Haneline after a comprehensive search process that produced a large and diverse group of candidates. The Board used stakeholder feedback from a recent survey to identify key characteristics desirable in the new leader. The feedback was synthesized and compiled into a “leadership profile” that was used to create interview questions and guide the entire process.

“The Board was motivated by our love of the school district and the Licking community,” said Board President Rawly Gorman. “All of the Board members are life-long residents of Licking and have the same shared values and objectives, to provide for the best education experience possible. We were looking for a candidate with a clear vision for the district and who had the ability to implement that vision in a way that would bring the teachers, staff and community together. We found that in Mrs. Haneline.”

The school community made it clear to the Board that the next educational leader needed to have a track record of experience and success in unifying stakeholders around a vision and strategic plan, the ability to communicate effectively with all members of the school community, and the creativity to align funding with long term academic success and safety across campus in the future.

“Mrs. Haneline impressed the Board with her energy, thoughtfulness and detailed vision for continuing to inspire success,” Board Vice President Alan Quick said.

Mrs. Haneline began her career in education as an elementary teacher in Waynesville R-VI School District. From there, she and her family moved to Colorado where she taught elementary grades in a charter school. Mrs. Haneline continued her career at Dent-Phelps R-III School District as an elementary teacher and mentor coordinator. She returned to Waynesville to teach elementary and act as Leadership Team Facilitator before moving to Pennsylvania to work as an elementary teacher at Baltimore County Schools in Maryland. In 2014, Mrs. Haneline and her family relocated to Tennessee where she taught elementary students and worked as one of the district’s teacher leaders. In 2019, she returned to her home community and taught first grade at Licking R-VIII School District before accepting a position as Teaching Methods Coach and then Elementary Academic Services Principal, before her appointment as Superintendent.

Mrs. Haneline is a graduate of Licking High School and Drury University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education. She went on to pursue her master’s degree from Colorado Christian University and her specialist degree in educational administration from Southwest Baptist University. She is finalizing her dissertation in anticipation of earning her doctoral degree from SBU in 2023.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Board for having the confidence in me to become the next Superintendent for the District. Our shared beliefs and values, which are encompassed within the District’s Continuous School Improvement Plan and the various responses from stakeholder surveys, will allow us to continue the great work that the Board, Mrs. Wright, staff members and the community have initiated over the past several years. I am thrilled to get started on our work together on behalf of each Licking R-VIII family and staff member,” said Mrs. Haneline.

Mrs. Haneline credits the support from her family for her ability to spend long hours leading the district. She has been married to her husband, Chris Haneline, for 20 years this coming January. Mrs. Haneline is very proud to have a senior, Ally, who will also be a Licking graduate this May, and Lesa, who is currently enjoying sixth grade at Licking Elementary. She also credits her extended family for their love and support.

The Board would like to thank teachers, administrators, staff, students, parents and community members for their feedback throughout this process. Plans to introduce Mrs. Haneline to the Licking community will be shared in the coming months.

Leave a Comment