Nell Holcomb Supt. Pannier set to retire

Darryl Pannier came home 13 years ago to take charge of Nell Holcomb School. Now he is set to retire, bringing an end to a 31-year career in education.

The school board has hired former Jackson schools assistant superintendent Bleau Deckerd as the new superintendent at a starting salary of $99,000, Pannier said.

Deckerd previously served as principal and superintendent of the Altenburg, Missouri, School District.

The Altenburg district serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade just like Nell Holcomb, said Pannier, who served as a mentor to Deckerd.

Deckerd will begin his duties Monday, but Pannier will stay on to assist in the transition through July.

Bleau Deckerd

"I will be in and out," Pannier said. "I don't want to step on his toes or anything like that. I will be here and do as much as he wants me to do."

Pannier, a former Nell Holcomb student, welcomed the chance to return to the area in 2006.

"I came back home," said Pannier, who attended Nell Holcomb School as a student.

But he said it is now "a good time to retire."

His future plans center around "golf and grandkids." He and his wife, a retired teacher, have family in the area. He said they plan to "stick around Cape."

Pannier's career included nine years as a teacher and 22 years in administration. He worked in the Fayette, Missouri, School District for 18 years, including serving as superintendent of the district located near Columbia, Missouri.

Pannier said of his upcoming retirement that "it is one of those things where it is time for somebody else to take over. It is time for me to leave, and leaving on good terms. Everything is going pretty well."

The small school has seen enrollment decline over the past 13 years. "We have approximately 275 kids. When I came, we had approximately 325," Pannier said.

But he said other public schools also have experienced enrollment declines. "I think that is just a trend, not as many kids in public education," he said.

Some students are going to parochial or private schools or being home-schooled, Pannier said.

But despite lower enrollment, Nell Holcomb has a healthy local tax base, he said.

"Our tax base here is awesome with the types of houses we have here," said Pannier, referring to high-valued homes that have been constructed in the district.

That, however, has not translated into higher enrollment. "People are building out here to retire, and they are not having kids with them," Pannier said.

He noted he takes satisfaction in how well the buildings have been maintained. Some of the buildings are almost 60 years old, but don't look it, he said, crediting it to the district's maintenance efforts.

"Nice buildings can make a big difference," he said.

He is also proud of the district's lower teacher turnover rates. "For the most part, once somebody gets here, they stay here," he said. "That builds a sense of community within your school ... and I have been proud of that."

Pannier said he also is proud of Nell Holcomb's students and parents.

"I am going to obviously miss the kids, first and foremost," he said.

He added that he also will miss the relationships with faculty and staff and the "conversations I have had with parents."

In such a small school, Pannier said he has daily interactions with students, staff and teachers. The school employs about 45 faculty and staff.

While the district is small and watches its budget, Pannier said, "we have everything that we need."

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