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RRMR offers terms of shared superintendent to Nashua-Plainfield

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

The Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Board of Education agreed to offer terms of a shared superintendent position to the Nashua-Plainfield district school board.

Monday’s discussion means the district will offer terms for the N-P Board of Education to consider at the district’s October meeting, which will occur a week before the RRMR board meets again in October. If settled between the two districts, the agreement would place RRMR superintendent Keith Turner in the new joint position during the 2018 spring semester; if both districts agreed to continue the arrangement, a new agreement would be drawn in April or May, Turner said.

The discussion came after N-P superintendent Randy Strabala announced his intent to retire in December, pending the appointment of a new superintendent for the Chickasaw County school district.

The initial proposal by the RRMR school board will offer splitting the superintendent’s work hours 20-80 percent a week at each district, although the board anticipates further negotiation on the time difference, Turner told the Press. Board members discussed allowing Turner to spend more time at N-P as he gets to know students and staff during his first semester there, although that time split may change in the future.

“We’re going to work something out. They’re a little bit bigger school,” Turner said.

The districts would also share the cost of Turner’s salary and benefits. Initial discussion at Monday’s meeting estimated a cost of $31,000 for each school, although a final number was not decided on.

RRMR school district has 425 students compared to the 600 students in N-P school district, Turner told the RRMR board on Monday. The two districts already share a business manager and human resources officer.

“It’s kind of an administrative team that can work back and forth between the two schools,” Turner said.

Turner currently serves as both superintendent for the RRMR community school district and principal for the RRMR high school. If a sharing arrangement was finalized between the two school districts, Turner said, RRMR math teacher Nick Johnson — who also coaches football and is the assistant principal — would likely become the high school principal.

“He would still teach math classes, so he would have a dual role this year. Next year with our declining enrollment, he would probably teach half the day and have half a day of principal duties,” Turner said.

Turner said the topic was broached in August, when Strabala called to say he was considering retirement. Strabala currently serves as a joint superintendent between N-P and Clarksville, which would not be included in the proposed shared agreement. Turner has previously taught at N-P.

“There’s over 50 superintendents already doing it. That’s about a third of the state that’s in operational sharing for the superintendency,” Turner said. “They’re doing it for financial reasons, and in order for us to deal with declining enrollment, this is the one thing that we can do that doesn’t take money away from the people who work directly with kids.”

ELECTION APPROVAL

The RRMR Board of Education began Monday’s meeting with a special session to accept the results of Sept. 12’s school board election.

The board surprised member Harm Eggena with a cake. Eggena did not seek re-election this year.

“I had a good time on the board, and I think we got a lot done. I’m leaving it in capable hands,” Eggena said.

Members Angie Johnson and Janette Lien welcomed incumbent Mike Staudt and new member Jeff Kuhlers to the board before adjourning the initial meeting.

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