Meet Fairport Harbor Exempted Village Schools - new superintendent, Bill Billington

Education and Licensure

Bill Billington most recently was the Director of Pupil and Personnel for the Buckeye Local School District and the middle school principal. Before this position, he was the Kingsville Elementary principal for three years; prior to that, he had been the principal of Braden Middle School since 2008. He received a BA in English from the University of Akron and a MAT from Kent State University in Secondary English Education. He completed my principal administration classes at the University of Dayton. His superintendent licensure is through the Buckeye Association of School Administrators and the University of Dayton. Bill is enthusiastic and prepared to contribute his knowledge to maximize the learning experiences for all stakeholders.

Recognition and Involvement

• M.A.T., Secondary Education, Kent State University
• B.A., English, University of Akron
• Ohio Superintendent License, Ohio Principal License (4-9 and 7-12), Gifted Intervention Specialist (K-12), English 7-12 (permanent certificate)
• Pixley English Award – University of Akron – Outstanding Senior English Major
• Ohio Association Secondary School Administrators
• Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators
• Former United Way Board member
• Current board member of the Kingsville Public Library

Click here to follow Mr. Billington (@FariportSuper) on Twitter

Our Mission

Collaborate. Innovate. Accelerate.

Our mission is to ensure high-level learning for every student through collaboration, innovation, and acceleration.

Our Vision

Focus on learning

• We are a student-centered organization.
• We believe learning is constant.
• We use proven instructional strategies for individualized instruction.
• We celebrate our successes.
• We provide a rigorous and robust curriculum.

Collaborative Culture

• We build knowledge through collective inquiry and professional development.
• We promote innovation & critical thinking for the development of global competencies.
• We uphold the district's mission, vision, values, and goals.

Focus on results

• We monitor student progress toward specific learning targets.
• We create data-driven environments where learning is constant.
• We provide feedback that is cyclical in nature and drives instructional decisions.
• We reflect on the results of teaching and learning.

Acceleration

• We believe in accelerated learning for all through the advancement of students in subjects at a rate that places them ahead of where they would be in a regular school curriculum.
• We use student’s talents and interests to advance them to their fullest potential.
• We differentiate through self-paced instruction, continuous progress, curriculum compacting, and extra-curricular opportunities.
• We assist students in making informed academic choices through dual enrollment and college and career readiness.

Our History

 Referenced from: A History of Fairport Harbor Ohio 1976, By The Fairport Harbor Bicentennial Committee.

 

Very little is known of the first educational opportunities in early Fairport, or Grandon, as it was first named in 1812. The earliest reference that had anything to do with Fairport schools was the enumeration of youth between the ages of four and twenty-one years residing in District No. One of Painesville Township in October of 1842. Apparently sometime before this enumeration took place, school districts were organized in Lake County.

Fairport's first school was located on Third Street; it housed only one teacher, a bell of rectangular iron, and a large stove in the middle of the room for heat. The first brick school building was built in 1876 and was also located on Third Street, the building currently houses the fire department and village hall.

In August of 1899, the Board of Education decided to let the citizens vote on the construction of a new school. In the fall of 1903 students moved into the new building constructed on Plum Street. The high school building on Vine Street opened in September of 1921. "A grand celebration with a large parade was held the day Harding High School was dedicated. That evening, a program was given in the new auditorium, which was packed to the doors." The stadium was dedicated on a sunny day on October 3, 1931, when Fairport won over Painesville 13-6.

In the spring of 1924 by resolution of the Board, the names of the three Ohio presidents who died in office were given to the three schools of Fairport. The high school officially became Harding High School; the old Third Street building became the Garfield School; the Plum Street school became McKinley School. In September 1936, Fairport broke from the County Board of Education and remains an Exempted Village School to this day.

Fairport schools have always been an integral part of our community. Today we are innovating our theory and practice to ensure the preservation of our traditions.