Six years ago, a vision came to fruition when Portage Township Schools Associate Superintendent Dr. E. Ric Frataccia joined the district to work alongside his good friend Mike Berta, who will conclude his career as the Superintendent of Portage Schools with his retirement this June. Many years prior, Berta and Frataccia had crossed paths and planned to eventually unite.
“When we were both assistant superintendents, me in Valpo and Mr. Berta in Portage, we had befriended easily because our philosophies were very similar and very different from the norm,” he said. “We always thought that if we worked together we could do great things, but that was young, egotistical thinking. Twenty years go by, and toward the end of our careers we’re finally together.”
When he came to Portage, Frataccia brought with him a wealth of experience working in many different districts. He started as an elementary school teacher at North Shore Long Island in Port Washington, NY. From there, he headed to Ball State to earn his doctorate and then taught at the University of Texas for four years before heading to the central office in North Dallas Carrolton.
He returned to the school building as a principal in Dallas before moving to Indiana as a principal. After his stint at central office in Valparaiso, Frataccia’s journey landed him a position as the Superintendent of the Union Township School Corporation. After retiring from that position Frataccia planned to take a university position, but could not turn down Berta’s offer to join the Portage district. Frataccia’s role is to monitor growth and student achievement in all grade levels and in all areas. He listens to teachers and administrators to hear what they think needs to be done.
“I meet with teachers from each of the buildings on the District Quality Schools Team. The goal is to ensure that we move the student achievement forward,” he said. Frataccia has found Portage Township Schools to be a perfect fit for him. “What makes Portage special is its uniqueness. I think its special because of the nature of the kids. They come from hardworking families and have a streak of toughness to them, which I enjoy because it’s similar to my background.”
Frataccia and his wife Kaye are involved in so many different boards, groups and organizations in Porter County that he found it hard to list them all off the top of his head. He is involved in Portage Economic Development Council and Porter County United Way, while also serving as the president of a park board in Valparaiso and the president of the Porter County Redevelopment Commission.
When asked which accomplishments he is most proud of, Frataccia did not hesitate in putting his family at the top of the list.
“Right after that would be the friendships that I’ve developed, personal and professional. I’ve been involved in a couple of school districts, at least two, where we changed their direction for the better, and I am very proud of that,” he said.
Last January, Frataccia was stunned to find out that he won a raffle hosted by Lakeshore Public Television and Radio for a free trip to the Super Bowl in Dallas.
“When they called our name, we had had a late meeting the night before and it just gassed us. I was lying down in bed and Kaye was lying down watching television. The phone rang a thousand times but we didn’t answer it. At 5:00 in the morning Kaye came in and said that people had left messages about the Super Bowl,” he said. “I thought it was just our buddies giving us a hard time. When I got to work, I had a call here too, and I called Lakeshore and they told me I had won.”
Frataccia and his wife witnessed the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV. This year, he entered the raffle once again in order to donate the money to the Lakeshore after winning the raffle last year. When the winner was drawn live on Lakeshore News Tonight, the entire on-air staff and viewing audience was shocked to find out that Frataccia had won the raffle for the second consecutive year.
“This year we were watching it and we looked at each other and went ‘Did you just hear what I just heard?’ Seriously, it was just incredible. Right after they were laughing and joking on TV, the phone rang and it was them. And here we are going to Indy. It’s just exciting!” he said.
He is open to the possibility of allowing his two sons to go in his place this year, since one is a Patriots fan and one is a Giants fan. Ric Frataccia serves an important role in the Portage Schools System and in the Northwest Indiana community. Those that know him well know that he is positive and upbeat, so Frataccia and PortageLife.com are a perfect fit.
“I’ve always thought and told Chris Mahlmann that I think it’s gutsy for a publication to highlight the positive nature of life and to circumvent all the garbage that’s out there. So bravo to him and to PortageLife because I think it takes far more courage to do that these days,” Frataccia said.