CAPE CENTRAL HIGH PRINCIPAL DAN TALLENT PLANS TO RESIGN

Dr. Dan Tallent, principal of Cape Girardeau Central High School, will resign at the end of the school year to seek another job, perhaps as a superintendent.

Tallent submitted a resignation letter to Superintendent Neyland Clark last week and sent a memo to staff members this week telling them about his decision. This is Tallent's second year at Central High.

Tallent doesn't have another job lined up, but said he felt it was time to leave Cape Girardeau.

"It's probably just best for me," he said. "I'll be interested in any job that I can find," adding that he would be interested in a position as a superintendent.

Tallent said school administrators typically don't announce they are leaving until they have secured a new job.

"But I wanted to give the district an opportunity to find someone," he said. "I wanted to be fair to the district and felt this would be the best thing. I'm big on being treated fairly and treating other people fairly."

The principal has worked over the past two years with teachers and staff to create a good learning environment for students.

Dr. Bob Fox, president of the Board of Education, said Tallent has been "an excellent addition to Central High School."

He said Tallent has been organized, firm and fair. "We needed that type of discipline and organization," Fox said. "We were very lucky to have had the opportunity to have him for two years."

Fox said he is disappointed that Tallent is leaving, but he isn't surprised. "I know that Dan is probably looking for a superintendency," Fox said. "You can't really keep someone with that kind of talent in a principalship forever."

Steve Wright, vice president of the school board, said he too is disappointed that Tallent is leaving.

"I really admire him for telling us now," Wright said. "He didn't have to, but this gives us a chance to start early and will create a lot of opportunities for people who might be interested."

The board will take formal action on Tallent's resignation at the board's Dec. 11 meeting and will begin the process of hiring a new principal then.

Tallent was hired in 1994 after the retirement of then-principal Dan Milligan. Before being named Central High principal, Tallent worked for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a state supervisor of instruction in the Southeast region.

Previously, he was superintendent at Meadow Heights, athletic director and assistant high school principal at Perry County District 32 and high school principal at Delta.

Tallent started his career in education at Central High in 1976, teaching math and coaching.

One of Tallent's first decisions was to hire Mark Ruark as an assistant principal. Ruark had been a Central High teacher and coach prior to moving up to the assistant principal's office.

"He's been outstanding to work for," Ruark said. "I can't imagine as a rookie administrator that I could have had a better mentor for the first two years of my career."

As an assistant principal, Ruark's main responsibilities are related to discipline. But he said Tallent also has emphasized academics.

"I would have loved to still be a classroom teacher under Dr. Tallent," he added. "I really feel that he has exerted great leadership. He hasn't been afraid to make decisions."

Central High School English teacher Sheryl Dunavan said, "I'm very, very sorry to see him go. He has been one of the most effective principals I've ever worked with. I would say he is practically irreplaceable."

Social studies teacher Joe Bradshaw said Tallent and the school's two assistant principals have "done wonders for the school in terms of morale and order and building environment.

"I hope we can replace him with someone even remotely as good," Bradshaw said.