Cape school board votes Glass next superintendent

Neil Glass, assistant superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District, will replace superintendent James Welker, who will retire at the end of June when his contract expires.

The school board selected Glass during a closed-door meeting Thursday.

Board President Jeff Glenn said Glass was among 19 candidates for the job.

Glass was the only candidate from within the school district, Glenn said Thursday.

Glass was hired on a three-year contract, beginning July 1.

Glass will receive a salary of $160,000 for his first year in the position, $165,000 for the second year and $170,000 for the third year, Glenn said.

“I am overwhelmed with emotion and humbled by the unanimous support of the board,” Glass stated in a news release. “We have an amazing district filled with great students, staff and faculty.

Neil Glass gives a presentation March 18, 2010, at Chateau Girardeau in support of the school bond issue for the Cape Girardeau School District.Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian

“I look forward to working with the board and this community to fulfill the potential of each and every student. I would also like to thank Dr. James Welker for his leadership the past nine years.”

Glenn said in the news release Glass was one of four finalists considered by the board.

“Dr. Glass has proven time and again that he is up to the challenges he is given,” Glenn said. “He expressed a strong desire to meet face-to-face with students, staff and community members to engage them in the continued growth of our schools.

“Our board members are confident in his leadership and look forward to working with him toward student success.”

Glenn said in a subsequent interview Thursday that Glass “is someone who can build relationships and do that well.”

He said the new superintendent has supervised the district’s budget and various construction projects.

“He has budget strengths,” Glenn said.

He added Glass will be aided by an administrative team.

“We have other people involved on the academic side,” Glenn said.

Other candidates for superintendent came from “all over the state,” as well as from Illinois, Colorado and Pennsylvania, Glenn said.

Glass graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and later earned his master’s in secondary administration there.

He began teaching physical education in 1996 in Jackson. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership at Saint Louis University.

He previously has served as high-school principal for the Chaffee R-II district and assumed his current position as Cape Girardeau’s assistant superintendent in 2008.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

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Past Cape Girardeau superintendents

James Welker has served as Cape Girardeau’s public-

schools superintendent since 2008. He is the longest-serving superintendent since Arthur Turner. On average, including interims, superintendents have served a little over six years dating back to 1898. Here are all school superintendents from the Cape Girardeau School District:

1898-1904 E.E. McCullough (principal)

1904-1906 Fred L. McChesney

1907-1908 C.T. Goodale

1908-1909 A.W. Lawson

1909-1911 John Laidlaw

1911-1913 George H. Reavis

1913-1924 John N. Crocker

1924-1935 J.A. Whiteford

1935-1962 Louis J. Schultz

1962-1975 Charles E. House

1975-1991 Arthur Turner

1991-1996 Neyland G. Clark

1996 Richard Bollwerk (interim)

1996-1999 Dan Tallent

1999-2002 Dan Steska

2002-2004 Mark Bowles

2004-2007 David Scala

2007-2008 Pat Fanger (interim)

2008-present James Welker

Pertinent address:

301 N. Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, Mo.