Cape schools superintendent to retire at end of school year

Jim Welker, superintendent of Cape Girardeau Public Schools (CGPS), will retire from his position at the end of the school year, effective June 2017. An announcement was made by the Cape Girardeau Public School District via news release Tuesday morning. The previous evening, the school board held a special meeting with an open session to discuss highlights of the strategic planning survey results. A closed session followed. “It just seemed like the right time,” Welker said, citing the completion of the district’s facility plan, which has been ongoing since 2010 and used funds from two bond issues totaling $60 million. The new Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center building, which was part of that plan, is expected to be complete in the spring, and ready for use in the fall. Repairs at Jefferson and Clippard elementary schools and a new facility for Franklin Elementary School were also part of the plan. “So with ... everything wrapping up next summer and the strategic planning process going on right now, it just seemed like a good time to transition to a new superintendent,” Welker said. Welker served in his current position for nine years, with a brief retirement in July of 2011. Before joining CGPS, he was assistant superintendent of finance in the Jackson School District. He has worked in public education for 39 years. Welker said along with spending more time with his family, he will pursue new opportunities, though what they may be he doesn’t know. “I’m not sure yet,” he said. “I haven’t figured that out. But I’m not very good at just sitting around.” He is certain, though, that he will stay in Southeast Missouri. “I’ve lived here for 36 years and raised three kids here,” he said. “This is home.” Welker pointed to districtwide professional development efforts and increased graduation rates, along with the facility plan, as some of the crowning achievements during his tenure, though he said much of the credit belongs to the teachers, staff and administrators. “I think there’s a lot of good things going on, and I think the district is in a place that will continue to move forward,” Welker said. In a news release from the district, the school board, which will soon conduct a search for a new superintendent, thanked Welker for his service and “consistent leadership with a passion for serving our students, staff and the community.” In turn, Welker thanked the Board of Education for allowing him to work in the district for the last nine years, and the Cape Girardeau community for their support. “It’s a great school district and a great community,” Welker said. “I’m just happy to have been a part of it.” bbrown@semissourian.com (573) 388-3630