The Ann Arbor school board is interviewing six candidates to become the next superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools this week. AnnArbor.com is profiling each of the candidates after their interviews.

As the lone superintendent candidate from Michigan to be interviewed by the Ann Arbor school board, William DeFrance said he understands what it takes for schools in this state to succeed.

During his interview Wednesday, DeFrance emphasized his relationships with business leaders and legislators and his familiarity with the Ann Arbor area after studying at the University of Michigan. He said he’s used to fighting the mentality that a high school education will be enough for a successful career in his current district and wants to work to continue preparing students for post-secondary education.

“It’s important to me that kids need to be successful beyond secondary education,” he said. “They need some kind of post-secondary and I’m steadfast on talking about that. You have to have competitive skills to take on whatever it is you want to do.”

DeFrance was the third candidate interviewed by the Ann Arbor Board of Education for the superintendent position. Candidate Patricia Green was interviewed Tuesday. The board also interviewed Shelley Redinger and Manuel Rodriguez Wednesday. Two more candidates will be interviewed Friday, and the board plans to select finalists after that.

DeFrance has served as superintendent of Eaton Rapids Public Schools since 2004, after serving as chief operating officer of Flint Community Schools from 2002-2004. DeFrance originally began his career working in business, spending 23 years in executive leadership positions for Ameritech and its subsidiaries, working in customer service and marketing. Eaton Rapids has an enrollment of about 2,500 students

DeFrance holds an undergraduate degree from Youngstown State University, as well as a master’s degree in economics and education and a doctorate in education with concentrations in sports administration and educational leadership. He studied at U-M when working toward his masters of business administration.

Calling the school board “the best customers that I need to serve,” DeFrance said he expects a strong working relationship with trustees. He said communication is one of his biggest assets.

“If we have something go on in a building, I’d rather board members know about it before they get home for dinner,” he said.

DeFrance said one of the greatest challenges facing districts in the current economic climate is working with bargaining units inside of schools, such as teachers and support services unions.

He said he believes the climate in Michigan has made it difficult to negotiate as resources dwindle and cuts have to be made.

“We need to be real clear that this has nothing to do with what people deserve. It has to do with what we can afford,” he said. “I don’t want to demean anybody or say they don’t have value.”

Mentioning his relationships with Lansing Community College, Western Michigan University and lawmakers in Lansing, DeFrance told the school board of several initiatives Eaton Rapids schools have undertaken in recent years. He pointed to his efforts to bring a branch of Lansing Community College to Eaton Rapids and to develop a New Tech High School program.

DeFrance said he has testified in front of the Michigan Legislature twice and has developed a relationship with two representatives from his district’s area. He said one representative would call him from the floor of the Legislature and ask for input.

“One of my big ‘aha's’ on this job was if you do your homework, there’s a great impact you can have,” he said.

DeFrance’s also talked about how he had worked to close the achievement gap between black and white students in Eaton Rapids.

He said he would work with the district’s chief financial officer to direct resources to boost student achievement and would try to direct more resources toward low-performing schools.

“An idea that’s worked in other places is hand pick the teachers that you put in areas that are lower performing,” he said.

Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.