Portage Township Schools Superintendent Michael Berta has made an impact on education through his hard work each day for the last 40 years. Those days of hard work will come to an end next summer. Berta has announced the he will retire at the end of the current school year.
"Simply put, I am starting to be tired. Physically, it is such a demanding job, and obviously over time it takes its toll. About the middle of last summer, I started to feel just tired," Berta said.
Berta has been in the Portage school system for a total of 33 years. In the middle of his two stints in Portage he spent seven years working in the Merrillville school district. Berta started out as an elementary school teacher at Myers. He also served as an assistant principal at Fegely Middle School, as a principal at Crisman and Kyle Elementary Schools and as the Assistant Superintendent.
"I didn't enter teaching with a desire to be an administrator. About my third year into my tenure at Myers, the principal of that building had a discussion with me about entering school administration," he said.
Berta's decision to enter the field of education did not come until his sophomore year at Indiana University. He was working on a major in accounting, but he realized that he was unhappy with that potential career path. Berta elected to switch his major and his experience as a cadet teacher solidified his decision.
Berta finishes up his final days as the Superintendent at the end of June. His retirement will allow him to spend more time with his first granddaughter, his wife and his three children. However, the transition to retirement will be a difficult one to make after years of waking up at 4:30 in the morning to begin 12-13 hour work days.
"What I plan to do is take six to eight weeks off after I end on June 30 without work. During that period of time, I will try to decide what I am going to do. I don't anticipate that I will continue to sit at home and do nothing," Berta said. "I'm involved with a number of boards, so I hope to stay involved with those kinds of things and perhaps work at some position that is a lot less demanding than this position is, maybe a part time situation."
Berta's dedication to the Portage Township Schools has paid off, as the system has reached new heights in terms of academic success. He is most proud of implementing the Baldrige Model, which builds a system of collaboration rather than isolation. Under this system, all of the departments and grade levels work together to reach academic achievement. This model brings alignment to the organization, avoids repetition and brings all the teachers together working for a common goal.
With a successful career in education nearly complete, it would be easy for Berta to sit back and relax from now until his retirement in June. However, he chooses to continue to work hard for the betterment of the school system.
One of his major goals for his final seven months is to put the district in position to apply for the very prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award. This award is presented to organizations that display the highest level of achievement and quality in the industry that they are in. The award will not be presented until after Berta is already enjoying his retirement, but he wants to help the district go through the application process none-the-less.
It is clear to those that know Berta that he has a true passion for education and loves what he does. When Berta looks back at his career, the one thing that he will remember the most is his interaction with the students.
"Many of those former students are right here in Portage in a variety of different jobs, but they've all been successful in one way, shape or form," he said.
Berta finds this an appropriate time to retire because he can leave with his head held high knowing that he has left the school system is good condition.
"Something you've done for so long is very difficult to walk away from. It was not an easy decision. I have a high sense of gratification of what the school board is accomplishing right now. It's time for me to retire, feeling as good as I do about what has gone on here at Portage."