By Colin Baumgartner
Review Staff
While the school board prepared to offer him the superintendent position on a night in May, Ken Gutman waited patiently at a nearby Starbucks.
It’s fitting, then, that five months later, Gutman, the superintendent of Lake Orion Community Schools, will hold the first ever Superintendent Community Coffee of the year.
The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Administration Building, located at 315 N. Lapeer Street.
‘There’s no agenda for the meeting,? Gutman noted. ‘It’s an opportunity for me to sit down and listen to the people of our district.?
Any community members who wish to ask questions, or just discuss and comment on the school district are welcome to attend.
‘Ultimately, it’s about getting to know everybody,? Gutman said. ‘We’re becoming a large community and having open communication is extremely important.?
Gutman added that he hopes to hold community coffee events on a quarterly basis.
He is among a large group of district staff that are either new or in different positions and said, as a result, it’s important to know what people both like and dislike about the district.
Previously the assistant superintendent of human resources, Gutman officially became superintendent after Christine Lehman retired at the end of last school year.
‘I am more than impressed with our community,? Gutman said of his first few months at the helm. ‘I’m even more excited now that I was several months ago.?