MSBA WILL LEAD JACKSON SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH

The Missouri School Boards Association will lead a national search to replace Jackson School Superintendent Wayne Maupin.

Maupin retired Sept. 13 but will finish the school year.

MSBA consultants Gale Bartow and Carol Gamble met with media representatives and school board members this week to explain how the search would proceed.

In his 26 years at Jackson, Maupin served as teacher, associate principal and assistant superintendent. He became superintendent seven years ago.

Consultant Bartow met this week with student council representatives to see what they want in a superintendent.

Hourlong meetings with each school board member will follow.

Bartow said he also plans to consult with teachers, support staff and community leaders and will hold an open forum.

Everyone with ties to the school will have an opportunity to comment.

"We want the chemistry to be right for the new superintendent," Bartow said.

It is going to be a selling job, he said, because the eventual superintendent is probably happy in his present position.

"We have to sell Jackson to the person and the person to Jackson," he said.

Aggressive recruiting, along with advertisements in national superintendent publications, should attract 40 or 50 applicants.

The MSBA will narrow the field to 10 or 12 semifinalists for the school board to interview.

The application deadline tentatively is set for Dec. 7; selection is expected in early January. The position opens July 1.

Jackson Schools will pay MSBA 5 percent of the superintendent's first-year salary plus expenses for its services.

School Board President Dr. T. Wayne Lewis said a salary hasn't been set, but it will be less than Maupin's $73,000.

"We used the MSBA because its reputation is excellent," Lewis said. "If we did the search by ourselves, I'm afraid we wouldn't do as good a job."

Lewis said the board hired the MSBA because it doesn't want the district to become stagnant.

Lewis complimented Maupin's work.

Maupin began with the system in 1969 as a student teacher.

At 52, he doesn't have specific plans for retirement, but he expects to stay busy.

"This is a fabulous place to work," he said. "The community pulls together, the student body is second to none and there is always good parental support."

Maupin's successor will face several challenges, the biggest being a need for more classrooms despite an ongoing construction schedule.