FORMER CAPE CENTRAL PRINCIPAL FINALIST FOR TOP SPOT IN 2 DISTRICTS

PERRYVILLE -- Dr. Dan Tallent is no stranger to Perryville, nor is he unknown in Cape Girardeau. He is a candidate for superintendent in both school districts.

Tallent met with board members and teachers in Perryville Wednesday afternoon for a question and answer session. He will interview with the Cape Girardeau school board tonight.

Perryville Superintendent Dr. Ron Fitch announced his retirement last fall. He will leave his job at the end of the school year. School board members in Cape Girardeau have moved quickly in their search for a new superintendent, in part because of the Perryville deadline. Superintendent Dr. Neyland Clark was fired from his job in Cape Girardeau last month.

The base salary packages in both districts are comparable at about $70,000 in Perryville and $78,000 in Cape Girardeau. But none of the candidates have discussed salary as a criteria, said Perry County District No. 32 board president Orville Schaefer.

Tallent, who is high school principal in Cape Girardeau, has plenty of experience and knows the Perryville district well.

He has been an educator for 26 years. During the 1980-81 school year, he was athletic director and assistant principal at Perryville High School.

Despite his familiar face and friendly demeanor, some teachers still wanted to know why he would be the best candidate for superintendent and whether he would take a job in Perryville or Cape Girardeau.

"It's not a reality yet," he said. "No one has offered me a job yet."

But the choice wouldn't be his alone. "It's not an individual choice but a family choice," he said. "We would decide together."

He was later asked to name four reasons why he wanted to come to the district. His reasons included supportive parents, dedicated teachers and good programs, a rural community atmosphere and a good community.

"I'm not looking for a place to come and move along," Tallent said. "I have moved enough to gain the experience to be marketable as a superintendent."

During his career, Tallent has been a high school math teacher, principal at Delta High School, superintendent at Meadow Heights schools in Patton, and an instruction supervisor with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. During his seven years with the department, Tallent worked with program accreditation in 63 school districts in Southeast Missouri.

He has been the high school principal at Cape Girardeau Central High School since 1994. He announced his resignation from that job in December.

"I felt like I could make a better contribution as a superintendent," Tallent said. "So the first of December that's what I did."

About 50 people, including board members, teachers and staff members, listened for an hour as Tallent told about his background and answered questions.

One priority of a new superintendent would be to get the district back on track academically, Schaefer said. "We have the potential to be a better school, so let's get on with it."

The Perryville board meets Jan. 17 and hopes to announce its new superintendent then. The Cape Girardeau board meets again in regular session Jan. 16.