SUPERINTENDENT IN PERRYVILLE REVIEWS NEEDS

PERRYVILLE -- If it weren't for a slight limp, there would be no physical reminders of Ronald Fitch's bout with polio 42 years ago.

But emotionally, the ordeal has affected every facet of his life.

"People died from polio then, and (doctors) didn't know if I would ever be able to walk again for a year," Fitch said of the disease that kept him bedridden for 12 months at the age of 7.

"You look at life differently after something like that."

Fitch, who became the new superintendent of the Perry County School District this year, says the disease taught him to be more sensitive to the needs of others, especially children.

And it played a part in his decision to pursue a career in education, he said.

"We all have special needs, but at the same time, we're all gifted," he said. "It's a matter of finding the areas."

Fitch became superintendent at Perryville July 1. On Monday, the district began the 1991-92 school year. Just over 2,300 students are enrolled.

Fitch was formerly superintendent of the St. James School District, a position he held for 10 years.

"I was at a point where I was planning to stay at St. James and retire at St. James," Fitch said. But then, he heard of the position at Perryville. He was one of 40 who applied.

From the start, he said, Perryville "seemed like the place" for him, and for his family. "Each step in the process felt good. Perryville is a good, middle-class community. People here are very proud of their community. They take care of their property and they exhibit a strong work ethic.

"Schools in many ways need to mirror the community," he added.

His family consists of his wife, Linda and three children, two of whom are attending college.

Fitch grew up in a small Kansas town about 75 miles from Kansas City. His family, he said, were very supportive of his education, although they were unable to pay for it.

"You don't have to give people money to be supportive of them," he said.

After working his way through school and earning a bachelor's degree in education, Fitch attended night school to earn master's and specialist degrees. He said he was "very focused" throughout school and did little except work and attend classes. To earn a doctorate degree, he said, he went back to school full-time for two years.

Fitch has been a superintendent since the age of 28. His first such post was at Clinton County School District at Plattsburg, where he served for seven years. Before moving to St. James, he was superintendent at Hardin County Central School District for three years.

Since coming to Perryville, Fitch said he has spent time getting to know teachers and community members, meeting with them in small groups.

"I want people to know where I'm coming from," he said. "It's like teachers and their students the more a teacher knows about a student, the better they are able to understand why a student acts a particular way."

Fitch said he hopes to follow a "participatory" style of leadership at Perryville. He said teachers need to be just as involved in problem-solving as administrators.

"It's my belief that the people who are performing the job are generally the experts," he said. "We need to allow people to be the best they can be, and generally those things aren't dictated."

He said one of the goals he has for the upcoming years is to decrease the district's teacher-to-pupil ratio. Perryville's ratio is higher than state standards.

He said it's difficult for teachers to "do their best" when they are the sole teacher of 30 or more students. He is also a believer in "team teaching," especially for gifted or handicapped children. And he said he's against segregated classes for most special-needs students.

"The best literature I find says that when kids remain in the regular classroom, the self-esteem of those students is significantly higher than those students who are pulled out and sent to a resource room" for special education classes, he said.

One solution, he said, is a class-within-a-class program, where special-needs students are taught in their regular classroom with a separate teacher.

St. James was one of 10 school districts in the state to have the class-within-a-class program.

The program exhibits Fitch's belief that a successful education is contingent on realizing individual students' needs and working to meet them.

"Some of the best things we can do for our children don't cost money," he said.

Fitch said he has high hopes for the district. He and members of the Board of Education are currently working on developing a long-term growth plan for the district that would include a redesign of the campus.

But on a personal level, Fitch said he and Perryville are a good fit.

"People here have many of the same values that I do," he said. "I would hope this would be my last position as superintendent."

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