Meet the 3 ‘new’ principals at Talawanda Schools this year

These administrators have been reassigned to lead various schools in the district.

New or returning Talawanda students and parents of Kramer Elementary and Talawanda Middle schools are seeing “new” faces in the principals’ offices this year – although these administrators are not so new to the district.

Talawanda Middle School

Jason Merz, former Kramer Elementary principal, has been reassigned as principal of Talawanda Middle this year.

The position was previously held by Pamela Theurer, who is now the instructional leadership principal for Bogan, Kramer and Marshall elementaries.

Merz said the move was a “great opportunity” to work with the staff at Talawanda Middle, especially as one of his sons is attending the school this year.

The 2026-27 academic year will be Merz’s 20th with the Talawanda School District. Merz spent his first two years as the assistant principal at Talawanda High School and the past 17 years as head principal at Kramer Elementary.

Prior to those positions, Merz taught every grade in Hamilton City Schools over more than 10 years. He taught math and science at an alternative school for seventh through 12th graders,  physical education and eighth-grade reading.

For nearly two decades of being an administrator for Talawanda Schools, Merz said his philosophy has been, “If you can be positive, if you can be visible and approachable, you can solve a lot of problems.”

“Work collaboratively with the staff. Build that trust. Just do the right things for kids and make sure that they’re getting the best that they can get out of Talawanda,” Merz said.

Merz said the staff at Talawanda Middle can expect positivity from him every day, and they’ll see him in their classrooms, observing their teaching and trying to be as helpful as possible. The families of students at Talawanda Middle can expect him to be approachable with their questions and concerns, he said.

“I want to be there and listen to you, advocate for your kiddo and hear what they have to say and figure out what we can do to problem-solve and make sure that we’re doing the best thing,” Merz said.

Merz said he’s excited for the upcoming year and the opportunity to use the skills he’s learned as principal of Kramer and apply them to his work at the middle school. 

“It’s such an amazing school district,” Merz said. “I just think that the teachers do a great job, and there’s multiple opportunities to learn and grow and push students.”

Mary Schulte, a former intervention specialist at Talawanda High, has accepted her first administrative role this year as the assistant principal at Talawanda Middle.

An Oxford native and Talawanda High School graduate, Schulte was a substitute teacher at various schools around Butler County before accepting a secretarial position at Talawanda High. During that time, she pursued a teaching degree and eventually accepted the intervention specialist position two years later.

For the past eight years, Schulte held that position while seeking a master’s in school leadership from Miami University before accepting her new role at Talawanda Middle.

“I’m excited to work … beside and support a really great staff here,” Schulte said. “Middle school can be challenging. I want to make it a fun learning environment for students and staff and just support them and be visible and go to work and have fun.”

Schulte said of working in education, “I love seeing the students, getting to know them, watching them grow, making a positive impact and just building a good family atmosphere.” 

“I just love to make a difference … and I love to acknowledge the difference that other people are making,” Schulte said.

Schulte said she’s looking forward to working alongside familiar faces and serving some of the families she’s shared a community with for years.

Merz gave similar sentiments, as nearly a third of the students arriving at Talawanda Middle this year have already attended Kramer Elementary. He said it's “neat” to have already known them and built positive relationships with their families. 

He said his staff at Kramer Elementary was “amazing” and “trusted one another,” and that they’re in “great hands” with the next principal.

Kramer Elementary School

Ashley Tebbe, former principal of Brookville Elementary School in Indiana, will be filling Merz’s position as principal at Kramer Elementary.

Tebbe also graduated from Talawanda High and attended Miami for her undergraduate education. 

Tebbe taught at Marshall Elementary for four years and at Kramer Elementary for another four years before spending the past year at Brookville Elementary.

She said during her time as a teacher at Kramer, Merz was a “phenomenal leader” and “role model” who was “visible,” “present” and “supportive,” and she wants to continue to be there for the teachers and students as he was.

“I just think that it’s a strong community, and I’m just excited to be a part of it,” Tebbe said. “I loved every minute of it when I was there as a teacher, and now, obviously, I’m taking on (an) even bigger role and continuing on all the great things they’re doing there.”

Tebbe said her favorite part of working in elementary education is the students.

“When they come in in preschool and kindergarten … they’re literally like babies,” Tebbe said. “They’re just learning everything. They’re like little sponges … and it’s just unbelievable how much they grow in those years, and (I like) just being a part of it.”

Tebbe said parents can expect her to be available and communicative, as she’s a “people person,” and the students will be her top priority.

“I’m a parent, and when I send my kids to school every day, I want to know that they’re safe and being looked after and taken care of,” Tebbe said. “I think that’s such an important thing for parents to know: for seven and a half, eight hours a day, you’re sending your kids to these schools and that they’re getting everything they need out of it.”

Tebbe said her staff can expect her to be supportive. As someone who’s been in their position, she said she understands the challenges of their jobs and hopes her experience will help them.

“Teaching is a hard job, so you have to feel supported and appreciated,” Tebbe said. “And I don't know that there's a better group of teachers than the teachers at Kramer.”

When Tebbe was transitioning from Marshall to Kramer Elementary, she said it was “hard,” but the staff welcomed her and made it easy, as if that’s where she was “meant to be.” After being away for a year, she said she returned because she feels like Kramer is her “home.”

“Obviously there's new people in the building, and a couple that I haven't met because they started last year,” Tebbe said of the staff. “But for the most part, I have relationships with every staff member in the building, and I don't know how many text messages I received once they found out I got the job. … It makes you feel even better, and you know you made the right decision when you're getting that (many) positive messages from people.”

Overall, Tebbe said she’s excited to return to the Talawanda School District and Oxford.