June 27, 2024
School Board President will step down after 11 years - School names President Elect
At its monthly board meeting in May, Ted Shure, President of the Summit Christian School Board of Education since 2013, informed the board that he will step down and hand over the reigns to his successor during the August board meeting, the school’s first meeting of the new fiscal year. The Nominating Committee met and put forth a recommendation to the full board at its meeting on June 25th, during which the board voted unanimously to elect Attorney Donald S. Plum, the board’s legal counsel and member since 2016, as the school board’s next president.
Don Plum owns his own law firm based in Green and specializes in estate and probate work. Plum, along with his former colleague, the late John Rasnick, handled the negotiations for the purchase of the school’s new home on Northampton Rd. and he was involved in countless milestone decisions made by the board over the course of his tenure.
About the election of Don Plum, Shure shared, “I have been so blessed to work alongside Don on the board. First and foremost he loves the Lord passionately and shares that openly. My walk with the Lord has grown immensely as a result of watching and listening to Don during our board interactions as well as in his personal life with his family and friends. Don’s investment in Summit Christian School has been beautiful to witness. He loves the school and its mission, gives of his time selflessly, and is totally committed to seeing it continue to grow and flourish. God has prepared Don beautifully for leading the the school through its next chapters of growth and development and I can’t wait to serve under Don’s leadership!” said Shure.
President Elect Don Plum shared the following, “Ted Shure has faithfully, expertly, and lovingly served as President of the Summit Christian School Board of Education for 11 years, and I have had the privilege of serving on the board under Ted’s leadership for the past 8 years. During that time, I have seen the Lord do incredible things at Summit Christian School. I have learned so much from Ted, our other outstanding board members, our amazing Head of School, Stephanie Fleser, and our wonderful teachers and staff. I love our Lord Jesus Christ, and I love the students and families that Summit Christian School serves. It’s an honor and a privilege to be asked to serve as President of the Board. These are exciting times at Summit Christian School. I can confidently say that every single one of our students from kindergarten through the 8th grade receive an excellent education from our hard-working and talented teachers and staff who love Jesus and who love each and every child who attends Summit Christian School,” concluded Plum.
Reflecting on his tenure as president, Shure stated, “It has truly been the honor and privilege of my life to be part of God’s team at Summit Christian. I was the most unlikely candidate to serve on a school board. School and I didn’t have a very good relationship and I even had nightmares about being back in school after my first board meeting. As my experience grew, however, so did my love for this institution. I have served alongside the most amazing, humble, and Godly men and women. They have helped me to grow in my faith and have consistently shown the true meaning of agape love during some very challenging times over the years. We are also so blessed at Summit to have amazing teachers. To watch how they pour into their students is truly remarkable. I was recently asked to share the most memorable experience I’ve had during my 11 years as president. I didn’t have to think about the answer because I’ve witnessed it on a daily basis. When you submit to the Lord’s will AND when you walk in faith and trust, miracles will occur! And occur they have!” Shure continued, “One of the best decisions the board made was hiring our then fourth grade teacher, Stephanie Fleser, as our Head of School. Stephanie runs marathons in her preciously little spare time. I’ll never forget the words of my board colleague and dear friend, Annette Bush, when she said, ‘We need a marathon runner - not a sprinter. Let’s hire her!’ Stephanie will always give her successes to the Lord which is no surprise if you know her. But make no mistake, she has been gifted in a mighty way and watching her grow in her position, including the building of a wonderful staff, has been a real gift for me, the board, and for the school as a whole,” concluded Shure.
In reflection of the last decade that Shure and Head of School, Stephanie Fleser, have worked closely together, she shared, “A consummate and compassionate leader is how I would describe Ted Shure in his role as president of Summit Christian School. I owe many thanks to him for the partnership we have shared and his mentorship of me from my first day as principal to the present as head of school. I am grateful that the Lord chose Summit Christian School as a predominant mission field for Ted. I eagerly anticipate working more closely with Don Plum as he steps into the president role on our board. Don is fervent in his love for Christian education. That love is evident in his passionate, sacrificial service at Summit Christian School, both on the board and in many facets of the school.”
Shure, a professional musician and Artistic Director of the Cuyahoga Valley Community Chorus, will remain a member of the board as immediate past president.
Over the course of the last few years the team at Summit has erased a six-figure deficit, significantly raised teacher salaries and benefits, purchased the Woodridge Primary School, built a vibrant contributed income program, experienced record enrollment with an extremely high retention rate, and made countless improvements to the building and grounds, among many other things.