PROFILE
MELANIE KOFF
Special to The Jewish News
&
oussef Yomtoob
has earned him-
self a place in
Michigan's his-
tory books. He is
the first Persian-born Jewish
school superintendent in
Michigan — and maybe in the
country.
But his fame is not due just
to his ethnicity. When Dr.
Yomtoob took over as superin-
tendent at Willow Run Public
Schools two years ago, the
working class school district
at the eastern edge of
Washtenaw County had a
negative image, was faced
with a financial crisis and was
plagued by community apathy
and a drop in enrollment.
Dr. Yomtoob — affectionate-
ly known as Dr. Joe — has
helped pull the 4,000-student
district out of its crisis:
finances are steadier, student
achievement on state and na-
tional tests is way up and the
district's image is brighter.
State Senator Lana Pollack
recently called the school
district "a model of communi-
ty support."
Gayle Green, director of
community education and
community services for the
district, recalls how on his
first day Dr. Yomtoob was
walking through the hallways
and remarked that they look-
ed cluttered. He turned to an
administrator and added
hallway beautification to his
list of duties.
Green says, "He put people
in charge and things began to
look so much better. With
every success, enthusiasm
grew and respect for him
grew."
Among the successes at
Willow Run are a fund
balance of $1 million, up from
$50,000 when he entered the
district. Student achievement
has soared, and 1990 MEAP
test results were up 41 percent
from the previous year. ACT
results are at 19.9, above the
national average.
Dr. Yomtoob was one of five
individuals who interviewed
for the superintendent posi-
tion. Andreas Blakita, Willow
Run board of education vice
president, says it was his op-
timism that singled out Dr.
Yomtoob from the other can-
didates. "He had a positive
Photo by Daniel M. Rosen
Youssef Yomtoob of Willow Run.
A Persian-born Jewish educator has turned
his Michigan school district around.
outlook on what could be
achieved in the school
district," Blakita says.
Since day one Dr. Yomtoob
has made an effort to meet
every student. He recalls
parents telling him that
because he was so visible,
their children had asked if he
was the first superintendent
Willow Run ever had.
Senior Class President
Aricka Anglin says,
"Everybody knows Dr. Joe. He
is involved with the students.
Students know they can go
and talk to the superinten-
dent about things. He sees so-
meone, walks up and says 'I'm
Dr. Joe — who are you?' "
Dr. Yomtoob came from Iran
to the United States in 1958
at the age of 18 to attend col-
lege. He moved from Thhran to
New York without knowledge
of English and with little
money. Dr. Yomtoob has since
returned to Iran only once, in
1962 to marry. His wife,
Parichehr, had corresponded
with him since he left Iran.
"We got engaged through
the mail. There really isn't
dating in Iran," he says.
His father urged the
children to leave Iran. "My
father told us that if
something happens to the
Shah the situation would not
be good for Jewish people," he
says. "He was right."
His family was part of the
30,000 Jews in Tehran. The
community has dwindled
since the ousting of the Shah
in 1979. "Everybody's Or-
thodox; there is no other kind
of Judaism," he says. "We
always kept a kosher home."
Dr. Yomtoob was the first in
his family to leave Iran. Today,
his three siblings also live in
the United States.
After studying English
for six weeks, Dr. Yomtoob en-
rolled in New York Universi-
ty to study mechanical
engineering.
"I don't have a lot of sym-
pathy when students say col-
lege is so hard. I went to col-
lege not knowing the
language," Dr. Yomtoob says.
He received scholarships and
worked in restaurants to help
support himself during
college.
He transferred colleges and
changed majors when he
discovered a love of teaching.
In 1963, he graduated with a
degree in education from
Manchester College in North
Manchester, Ind.
He had received two
master's degrees by 1971, one
in education and the other in
mathematics, while teaching
full-time to support his fami-
ly. His third child, Rebecca,
was born that year. The Yom-
toobs also have two boys,
David and Benjamin.
Dr. Yomtoob received a -
Ph.D. in 1974 in math educa-
tion, curriculum and instruc-
tion from the University of
Toledo and then went on to
teach in Niles, Mich., moving
up the ranks from math
teacher to chairman of the
math department to executive
director of personnel and
research. "I missed teaching
but enjoyed administration,
too. I never tire of my work,"
Dr. Yomtoob says.
In 1985, Dr. Yomtoob
became assistant superinten-
dent of Albion (Mich.) Public
Schools.
During the early 1980s, the
Yomtoob family was not focus-
ing its attention on Youssefs
successes. Their middle child,
David, spent his 12th year in
and out of hospitals. He had
been diagnosed with Wilson's
Disease, but many doctors
were unfamiliar with this rare
condition that can cause the
body to accumulate copper in
fatal doses.
The Yomtoobs brought
David to a hospital in Pitt-
sburgh, Pa., and prayed that
he would receive a life-saving
liver transplant.
After months of waiting, an
appropriate donor was found.
Parichehr documented their
family nightmare in a book A
Gift of Life which was recent-
ly translated into Japanese.
The book ends with David's
bar mitzvah in March 1982.
Dr. Yomtoob says, "He was
supposed to have it in October.
He couldn't even talk in Oc-
tober." Yomtoob recalls that at
David's bar mitzvah, the sanc-
tuary was overflowing with
those who had lent support to
the family during their dif-
ficult tiime.
The Yomtoobs were active
members of the reform Temple
Beth El in South Bend, Ind.
Dr. Yomtoob recalls the
involvement of many temple
members during David's il-
lness: "It was heartwarming
to see the moral support — the
calling and the caring. People
were trying to take care of us
any way they could."
In 1985, Dr. Yomtoob was
the first man voted by the
temple sisterhood to receive
its annual award.
When Dr. Yomtoob received
a $4,000 raise at Willow Run
in 1989, he donated half to
start a Dr. Joe's Most Improv-
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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