April 26, 2008 05:31 pm
—
By Joe Hadsall
jhadsall@joplinglobe.com
ELDON, Mo. — Four years ago, the Eldon R-1 Board of Education took a risk.
Former president Greg Jarrett said the board evaluated five finalists to be the next superintendent. Four of those had long careers and experience as a superintendent.
Instead, the board chose a fresh-faced candidate with no superintendent experience. Then 34, the highest leadership experience C.J. Huff had up to that point was as an elementary principal.
But Huff’s attitude and work ethic won over the board.
“When we first hired him, we decided that we could hire someone who is finishing their career,” Jarrett said, “or we could take a little bit of risk on someone who has the potential to be the best in the state. And he’s well on his way to being there.”
Over those five years, Huff has left his impression on the school district.
Some teachers say he improved test scores and working conditions and some parents say he improved Eldon’s quality of education.
But Huff is not without his detractors, some of whom say he led with a “my-way-or-the-highway” mentality and stepped on toes to make improvements. Some accuse him of spending money irresponsibly and replacing experienced, established personnel with younger, greener candidates.
Huff, now 38, takes the reins of the Joplin R-8 School District on July 1.
Eldon’s measure
Eldon is a town of 4,895 people, nestled north of Lake of the Ozarks along U.S. Highway 54. The Eldon R-1 School District has an enrollment of 1,920 students in two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The district also offers a career center and an agricultural program that involves about one-third of the high school’s student body.
At the high school level, where sophomores take the mathematics part of the Missouri Assessment Program test, 36.5 percent ranked either “proficient” or “advanced” in Eldon, compared to 41.1 percent statewide.
Of the high school juniors, who take the communication arts part of the MAP, 30.5 percent scored “proficient” or “advanced,” compared to 41.8 percent statewide.
Out of 14 groups of students — seven grade levels tested in math and seven grade levels tested in communication arts — six saw increases in the combined “proficient” and “advanced” categories over last year’s scores. The other two categories on the MAP test are “basic” and “below basic.”
Huff said the scores, even if some are below the state average, may be high enough to earn a Distinction in Performance award this year because of the improvement noted from 2006 to 2007. Those honors will be announced in the fall. This would mark the first year that the Eldon district would get the award under Huff’s leadership.
Eldon High school students also tested below the state average on the ACT. Eldon students scored an average composite of 20.5 in 2007, compared to 21.6 for the state that year. The percentage of students who took the test is also below the state average, 60.3 percent to 70 percent.
‘Progressive’
Some teachers and school personnel said the difference in Eldon because of Huff is like night and day. Before Huff’s arrival, the district was on the path of being downgraded to provisional accreditation, according to Huff and several teachers and board members interviewed by the Globe.
“He is one of the most progressive (superintendents) we have ever had, in terms of moving forward educationally,” said high school librarian Sandra Ingram, who has worked for the district for 34 years. “He is very in tune with the needs of students and teachers.”
In Huff’s first year, he expanded the district’s long-range plan and its commitment to the concept of professional learning communities.
According to the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, professional learning communities are a model of education that involves collaboration between teachers to catch up on educational goals and exchange information about students. The model calls for meetings once a week, which many schools accommodate with late starts or early dismissals. The Joplin district uses a similar model.
Eldon’s middle school and South Elementary School have won national recognition as National Model PLC Schools from the PLC National Center.
This didn’t occur easily, said Debra Sash, a social studies teacher at the high school. But the process worked well, especially for her department.
“It hasn’t been an easy transition. Change is difficult,” Sash said. “But he has been outstanding and supportive of teachers.”
Rex McCargar, the high school’s band director, has taught in Eldon for 21 years. When news of Huff’s new job in Joplin was announced, he said he was “crushed.”
“He’s been one of the best superintendents we’ve had,” McCargar said. “He brought us fresh air and new ideas, and encouraged us to move forward with passion.”
The community
Huff also got the school district involved with the community, said Diane Gollihugh, assistant director of the Eldon Chamber of Commerce. Huff is a member of many community groups and supports charitable events, she said.
“The number of events being held at schools has gone up,” Gollihugh said. “He goes above and beyond to have the schools involved in community fund-raisers.”
Gollihugh said Huff also got the community interested in the schools. During the last five years, Huff helped pass a 30-cent levy increase and, last month, a $10 million bond issue to build a new agricultural center and make schools more energy efficient.
Even during his first year, he got people interested. He formed a committee of almost 80 members of the public who weren’t school employees. They worked on committees and formed action plans to address district problems.
Teachers also have seen increased salaries and buildings have been upgraded over the last four years. The base teacher salary went from $26,500 to $28,700 in that four-year period.
“There were parts of the district on life support,” McCarger said. “After the levy passed, he made it so that classified staff can earn a living in the district. He helped out everyone across the board.”
Residents’ views
Eldon residents had mixed views about Huff. Many said they were impressed with the quality of education their children receive.
“He did an excellent job,” said Lisa Stafford, a mother of four. “We had so many problems before, and he’s straightened us up so much.”
Stafford said she appreciated Huff’s efforts to improve teachers and get rid of tenured teachers who were not effective. She said Huff was personable and listened to her concerns.
That same process didn’t sit well with others, though.
“He did what he was hired to do well, but he stepped on a lot of toes doing it,” said Kendall Montavy, father of two. “It was his way or no way.”
Jarrett, the former board president, said there was no concentrated effort to weed out sub-par teachers.
“Other than to make sure that everyone bought into the vision that we were going to get accredited with distinction, and that the PLCs were the train we were all riding to get there,” Jarrett said. “I’m sure there were incidents along the way. But there hasn’t been any mass firings or anything like that.”
Lisa Prater, mother of three, said she sees a difference in how her children learn.
“The education has been at a greater level,” Prater said. “Kids are learning better.”
Sophomore Brittany Wagoner, 16, said the schools improved under Huff’s leadership.
“A lot of students used to complain about the schools before him,” Wagoner said. “I hardly hear anyone complain anymore.”
“He’s making our town cry by leaving us,” said senior Britany Swearingen, 18. “We love him. I think he’s the only one who held the school together.”
But Mark Jones, 19, said he never was able to talk to the superintendent.
“I wanted to several times,” Jones said. “I wish he was more accessible. I didn’t have a good relationship with the principals.”
One of Huff’s more vocal critics is Robert Dunstan. He and others campaigned against the $10 million bond, which was approved by voters on April 8.
Dunstan said Huff won’t hesitate to spend money and believes Huff was wasteful at times. He disagreed with the bond issue’s goal to upgrade schools with ground-source heating and cooling systems.
“He has totally ignored how money is spent,” Dunstan said. “He’ll give things a quick fix and make them look good. But in education, making every dollar count is important, because the kids will be the ones paying for it.”
Huff said he has no regrets about the decisions he made.
“There are times when you have to make decisions in the best interest of kids, not adults,” Huff said. “But I think that about 90 percent of the decisions I’ve made are a direct result of people in the community getting involved and making a plan.”
Mustang Academy
Of particular interest to the Joplin school district is Eldon’s graduation rate: It rose almost 10 percent over the last five years, from 76.6 percent to 86.5 last year. Eldon went from having the 30th worst graduation rate in the state, to a rate that is above the state average.
For the last five years, Joplin’s graduation rate has languished below the state average. In 2007, Joplin’s rate was 74.5 percent, compared to the state average of 85.8 percent.
Huff said the main reason for Eldon’s improvement was the expansion of an alternative school, known as Mustang Academy, which helps students graduate or obtain GEDs.
“It seemed like kids could drop out for no reason,” said high school counselor Sandra Brown. “We didn’t fight to keep them here.”
Huff said the alternative school allowed the district to change its philosophy on student discipline. The high school also has an advisory program for students making Ds or Fs.
“Before, a student would be kicked out of school for many minor infractions,” Huff said. “Mustang Academy allows those students to get the help they need and to keep up with their schoolwork. We’re doing society no favors if we kick them out of school.”
Despite the program’s success, Huff said an alternative school may not be the answer for Joplin, which is struggling to raise its graduation rate.
Joplin had an alternative school, but closed it and incorporated its programs into the high school. Joplin school officials thought the center was not performing as well as it could, and believed the money would be better used at the high school.
“This works for Eldon, but it may not work for Joplin,” Huff said. “The worst mistake I could make is assume that this is a silver bullet.”
First 100 days
C. J. Huff’s entrance into Joplin will be different from his experience at Eldon.
When he took the job there, he replaced a superintendent whose contract was not renewed by the board. Test scores were stagnant, and the district faced losing its full accreditation.
Joplin, however, has four straight years of winning the state’s Distinction in Performance award.
“I think that relates to my experience (at Eldon),” Huff said. “I didn’t make a lot of decisions until I took a look at things. Once we identified challenges to overcome, then we started putting people together to figure out how to tackle them.”
Huff will meet the Joplin community during a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 3.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Photos
Special to the Globe/David Stonner
C.J. Huff, who will take over as superintendent of the Joplin School District on July 1, is credited with improved test scores, working conditions for teachers and community involvement in Eldon.