Scott City superintendent focuses on life after high school

The new Scott City school superintendent says he wants to be sure every student in the district is prepared for "life after high school," regardless of whether they go to college or straight to work.

Michael Umfleet, who began his tenure as superintendent of the Scott City R-1 School District a few weeks ago, talked about his goals for the district Thursday at a meeting of the Scott City Chamber of Commerce.

"Not every student we have at Scott City, or at any school, is geared to be a college graduate," Umfleet told the chamber members. "We also have students who are going to go right to work at age 18 and we've got to make sure our kids are ready for that."

Umfleet has spent his entire education career in the Scott City school system, starting in 1996 as a teacher and coach. After earning his graduate degree in education administration and a specialist certification, both at Southeast Missouri State University, Umfleet became the district's middle school principal in 2006.

The Scott City Board of Education unanimously selected Umfleet in April to be the district's new superintendent, replacing Brian Lee who left the district earlier this summer.

Umfleet told the chamber members that early in his teaching career "I was really excited about preparing kids to go to college and get four-year degrees and go out and get great jobs," but over the years he realized that not all students are suited for college.

"We don't want kids getting lost in the shuffle and falling through the cracks," he said. "We're going to find a place for those kids and one of those areas is the JAG program."

JAG, or Jobs for America's Graduates, is a voluntary, in-school program that counts as a high school elective. It focuses on a set of core competencies that prepare students to succeed in the workforce. JAG currently serves nearly 50,000 students in about 1,000 communities in 31 states. The Scott City district is one of 59 school systems in Missouri participating in the program during the 2019-20 school year.

"In the coming months, our vision as part of the JAG program is for us to work with you and find out what skill sets you're looking for," Umfleet told the chamber business representatives. "We're going to get input from you and then that will go into our curriculum. That way, when we prepare these kids they're going to be ready for your jobs."

The superintendent said he will also encourage teachers and students to "get involved with the community" through various service projects, something he required teachers to do with their students when he was the middle school principal. "It was good for the community and it was also good for our kids. I really think over the next year or so you're going to see more of that."

The Scott City School District has an enrollment of almost 800 students from prekindergarten through high school. The system has approximately 80 certified staff members and a total of 115 employees. The district's 2019-20 school year begins Aug. 15.

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