SCHOOL SEARCH NARROWS; TWO SUPERINTENDENT FINALISTS NAMED FOR PERRYVILLE DISTRICT

PERRYVILLE -- Two finalists for superintendent of the Perry County School District say the district's reputation for high academic standards is what prompted them to seek the Perryville post.

Dr. Ronald Fitch, superintendent of the St. James R-1 schools, and Dr. Allan Crader, superintendent of schools at Republic, were selected as finalists for the position last week by the Board of Education.

Reached Saturday, both men praised the district and said they are anxious to meet with teachers, administrators and members of the community.

Fitch will visit Perryville on Tuesday. Crader will visit the community Wednesday.

Fitch will meet with school personnel during the day Tuesday. A community forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Junior High School library.

Crader will follow a similar schedule, meeting with teachers and administrators during the day Wednesday and a community open forum at 7:30 that night at the Junior High School library.

Fitch, 48, said his visit will not only give him a chance to meet people and evaluate the district, it will give residents and school personnel an opportunity to evaluate him.

"It's important that the district choose the superintendent of schools that best fits their needs," Fitch said. "I'm looking forward to visiting with folks in the community, and learning their feelings and attitudes about the school district."

But Fitch said he also wants to know what members of the community want in a superintendent. He said if selected for the post, he will seek extensive input from teachers, administrators and community members concerning what goals the district should have.

Fitch has been superintendent in St. James since 1981. Prior to that, he was superintendent of the Clinton County R-III School District at Plattsburg for seven years. He also served as superintendent of the Hardin County Central School District for three years.

He holds a bachelor of science degree from Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville, and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Central Missouri State University and Oklahoma State University.

At Oklahoma State, he taught graduate courses in education. He also taught for five years in the Kansas City school system.

The St. James school district has an enrollment of 1,400 students, about 1,000 less than Perryville's enrollment. The district has a teaching staff of 85 and operates on a yearly budget of $5 million.

The difference in the number of students in the two districts produces "only positive feelings" for Fitch. He's made the jump before, he said.

"At Hardin, Mo., there were approximately 350 students. From there," he said, "I went to Plattsburg, which had about 950 students."

Fitch said he first became familiar with the Perryville district in 1981.

"When I became superintendent at St. James in 1981, there were some programs we were interested in improving," he said. "We were referred to Perryville (as an example of a model program)."

Fitch said he feels the curriculum used in Perryville schools encourages critical-thinking skills in students.

"I've been aware of the type and quality of education Perryville's had over the years," Fitch said.

Fitch's wife, Linda, teaches fourth grade. They have three children, Ami, 21, a senior at the State University of New York; Mark, 19, a sophomore at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Stephanie, a high school junior.

Fitch said his educational philosophy is based upon the idea that all administrative decisions must focus on the student.

"We always have to ask, `Is this good for kids or is it good for students?'" he said. "I think if we keep on track that way, we will be able to provide the best education possible."

Crader, 46, is a native of Jackson and a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. He said Perryville's strong academic programs are a "real drawing factor" for him.

"I think the school district has always demonstrated a great deal of pride and tradition in many of its programs," Crader said, "especially academic programs. That type of high quality education is very attractive to me."

Like Fitch, he said he plans to talk with community members at length about the district's needs.

"I think community input is absolutely vital to the successful operation of the educational programs," he said.

Crader added that he feels a superintendent has to be flexible. "If you're not, you don't survive," he noted.

Crader, who is also an instructor at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, has been the superintendent of schools in nearby Republic since 1984. The district has 2,522 students, a teaching staff of 137 and operates on a yearly budget of $6.8 million.

He was involved in the Pacific school system for eight years, one as high school principal, five as assistant superintendent and two as superintendent. He was also the middle school principal in the Sullivan C-2 district from 1972 to 1976, and was a teacher in the Franklin County R-15 district at Spring Bluff for two years.

After graduating from Southeast with a bachelor's degree in history, Crader went on to receive graduate degrees at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and St. Louis University. He also served two years in the Army, one of those years in Vietnam.

Crader said he feels an educational system is "the most important and vital function a modern society has.

"It's up to those of us who are involved in educational programs to do everything within our resources to get students to take advantage of every available educational opportunity," he said. "We have to constantly put education up front."

Crader's wife, Carolyn, works part time as an accountant. They have two children: a 21-year-old daughter who is a sophomore at Southwest Missouri State University, and a 17-year-old son who is a junior in high school.

If selected as superintendent, Crader said he would first try to assess what community members expect from the district, and then "determine a plan to deliver that to the people."

Republic's school system has 2,522 students, about 150 more students than Perryville's.

Crader said the fact that he is a native to the Southeast Missouri area played a small role in his decision to seek the Perryville post.

"Don't get me wrong, I love the area, but the thing that most attracted me," he said, "was the strong academic programs."

Fitch and Crader were chosen from a list of six semi-finalists, said Board of Education President Orville Schaefer. More than 40 people applied for the position, he added.

Schaefer called both candidates "people-oriented.

"They have the experience and qualifications we are looking for, and they stood out from the others," Schaefer said. "The choice wasn't really that hard to make."

The school board will hold a closed session on April 8 to choose a new superintendent, Schaefer said. The board's decision will be announced at an April 9 open meeting, he said.