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October 26, 2009

Webb City school official honored by association

By Emily Younker

eyounker@joplinglobe.com

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Ron Lankford, superintendent of Webb City schools, has been named 2010 Superintendent of the Year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators.

Lankford said Monday that he is honored by the award.

“There are some really quality people who have gotten that, so it’s kind of neat to be thought of, (to be) worthy of it,” he said.

Tenure cited

Dennis Lea, a member of the selection committee, said Lankford’s tenure in the Webb City School District — more than 30 years — was an important factor in awarding him the honor.

Lea said the committee also took into account accomplishments such as the district having achieved the state’s designation of Accredited with Distinction for nine of the past 10 years, as well as Lankford’s help in establishing the Southwest Center for Educational Excellence.

“It’s a combination of all those things that, for me, in looking at his body of work and his impact as an educational leader, I believe personify why we believe that he’s superintendent of the year,” said Lea, former superintendent of the Valley Park School District and 2004 Superintendent of the Year.

Larry Ewing, former superintendent of the Fort Osage School District and a selection committee member, said he thinks Lankford is admired and respected across the state as a superintendent.

“What comes through is his compassion for doing all that he possibly can for his students,” said Ewing, the 2008 recipient of the award. “Because of that commitment, I think his peers admire and respect him. I think he’s a proven commodity given his long tenure in the Webb City system wearing a variety of administrative hats.”

Lankford follows the 2009 recipient, Chris Nicastro, former superintendent of the Hazelwood School District and now commissioner of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She was unavailable for comment Monday.

Students

Lankford said the students are the best part of his job and are a source of pride for him.

“I really think the thing I’m most pleased with is the Webb City kids (and) the aspirations they have,” Lankford said. “We have kids who have really gone out (after graduation) and not felt the limitations and have felt confidence.”

Lucinda Copeland, a 24-year school board member and the person who nominated Lankford, said the reasons why he deserved this award are numerous.

In her nomination letter, Copeland wrote that Lankford is a good businessman and leader, having overseen the addition of more than 200 instructional areas to the district funded by 11 bond and tax issues approved by voters. But his human side is what adds color to the portrait, she said.

“Dr. Lankford is not just a name to the students, but a very real presence in the district,” Copeland wrote. “He seems to have a knack for pinpointing those students who benefit most from a friendly word from an adult.”

Controversies

It hasn’t always been smooth for Lankford. Controversies are one of the biggest challenges of his job, he said.

Lankford has negotiated with parents who wanted books pulled from library shelves. He also faced a lawsuit in 2004 from Brad Mathewson, who sued the district for prohibiting his gay-pride T-shirts. Mathewson later dropped out of Webb City High School and withdrew his lawsuit.

“Any time you have a school, there are always things that arise that some people agree or don’t agree with,” Lankford said. “The bottom line is we tried to resolve those as best we could.”

Lankford said the award should not be solely about him; rather, it belongs to Webb City.

“It’s about a community that supports its schools, about a Board of Education that supports its schools,” he said. “It’s about teachers and kids that work hard.”

Lankford, in his 37th year in education and his 33rd year with the Webb City School District, has been superintendent since July 1998. He has also served as an associate superintendent, high school principal and junior high school principal.





$500 scholarship

In addition to an award and a commemorative ring, Ron Lankford received a $500 scholarship to be given to a Webb City student.

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