TALLENT NEW CAPE SUPERINTENDENT

Once, while Dr. Dan Tallent was serving as superintendent at Meadow Heights, school buses routinely failed inspection. Then Tallent took charge.

He asked the maintenance supervisor to explain the problem, then crawled under each bus to see for himself that repairs were being made.

Bob Blank, a member of Cape Girardeau's Board of Education, said examples like this, along with Tallent's previous experience as a superintendent and with the state education department, tipped the scales in his favor.

On Friday, the school board picked Tallent over Dr. Richard Bollwerk for the top spot in Cape Girardeau schools. Bollwerk, the acting superintendent and past assistant superintendent, plans to stay at the district in a new role of associate superintendent.

"Dan crawled under the bus," Blank said. "He understood the problem and took steps to make sure that everyone understood what was expected. A superintendent has to have that wide range of knowledge. He's everything to everybody."

Tallent is in his second year as principal at Central High School. Bollwerk has served in the district's central office for eight years.

Tallent announced in November that he was leaving the district with hopes of landing a job as superintendent. He was a finalist for superintendent at Perryville.

Orville Schaefer, school board president in the Perry County No. 32 district, said he is sorry to lose a good candidate like Tallent.

The Perryville board plans to announce its new superintendent at its Jan. 17 meeting.

Bollwerk had been a semi-finalist at Perryville, but withdrew his name when he was named acting superintendent for Cape Girardeau a month ago, when the board fired Dr. Neyland Clark as district superintendent.

The board exercised a clause in Clark's contract, paid him a year's salary and benefits, and asked him to leave. Dr. Tim Niggle, director of human resources, also left.

Tallent thinks he is up to tackling the job of superintendent.

"I think we've accomplished significant things at the high school," he said.

He has stepped up classroom discipline at the high school and improved teacher morale. He also has tried to open lines of communication with parents and students.

As superintendent, Tallent hopes to expand that progress throughout the school district.

"Every parent in Cape wants us to have the best schools," he said. "It's a matter of pulling all those things together."

For the remainder of the school year, Tallent will work as Central High principal. Bollwerk will remain acting superintendent. Tallent officially takes over July 1.

One of the key personnel decision facing Tallent is a restructuring of the Central office administration.

Bollwerk will become the associate superintendent. Another person will be hired to serve in the central office, but the job descriptions haven't been written.

Bollwerk, though disappointed that he wasn't chosen as superintendent, said he looks forward to working with Tallent.

The two already have discussed the new administrative structure and Bollwerk said it should help establish a clear line of communication and decision-making for the district.

Tallent and the board agreed to a three-year contract. His salary and benefit package isn't finalized. Board president Dr. Bob Fox said the total will be under $100,000. Clark's salary and benefit package totaled about $112,000 a year.

Board member Harry Rediger sees Tallent and Bollwerk as a leadership team.

Bollwerk's expertise lies in curriculum and elementary education. Tallent is versed in secondary education and finances.

"They complement each other," Rediger said. "I'm excited about our future."

"It was a tough decision," Fox added. "I felt they both could do an excellent job. Having them both in the district, with their different styles, should work well."

With the superintendent issue settled, Fox said the board will return to long-range planning. The district's Vision Planning Committee, which has been collecting public input on issues of importance to the community, is finishing a report to the school board.

In addition to his experience at Central High, Tallent, 49, worked for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a state supervisor for instruction in the Southeast region.

He previously was superintendent at Meadow Heights, athletic director and assistant high school principal at Perry County District 32 and high school principal at Delta.

Tallent started his career in education at Central High in 1976, teaching math and coaching.

He is married to Rose Tallent, who is elementary principal at Jackson's Primary Annex, Gordonville and North elementary schools. She supervises about 600 students.

He has a son, Tim, who is a senior at Southeast Missouri State University, majoring in criminal justice, and a daughter, Kristin, a sophomore at Central High.