Paoli public schools will begin the new school year in August with a new superintendent at the helm.
The Paoli Board of Education approved the hire of Albert McReynolds as superintendent of schools during a special meeting May 29. McReynolds, whose contract begins July 1, will replace outgoing superintendent David Morris. Morris’ resignation, effective June 30, was accepted by the school board during the April 13 regular meeting. He has served as superintendent with the district since 2015.
School board members Ed Meyers and Jeff Davenport said the board reviewed 13 applications for the position, interviewing 11 of those candidates during three special meetings in May, including second round interviews with four of the candidates, before deciding to offer the position to McReynolds. Meyers said all but one of the candidates had experience as school superintendents.
Meyers and Davenport said they are looking forward to a revitalization of community engagement and support with the school district under McReynolds.
“We think our future’s looking bright,” Meyers said.
McReynold’s previous administrative experience includes stints as superintendent at Wapanucka and Indiahoma, and he has served as an assistant principal at a campus of the Midland, Texas, Independent School District, where he said his duties included supporting campus improvement.
The Paoli school district has struggled with a significant dip in student enrollment over the last few years, something the previous superintendent had attributed to a declining number of families with school age children living in the Paoli community.
McReynolds, who attended the June 8 regular board meeting Monday night, is optimistic the district can reverse that trend.
“I’m observing, listening and learning, collecting feedback, getting information from the community and working on a district needs assessment to find out how to move forward, to find out what our community needs,” McReynolds said. “We’re really studying enrollment. Over the last seven years, we’ve lost 100 students. So, we’re looking at enrollment, trying to understand enrollment patterns.”
McReynolds acknowledged concerns about the effect recent changes in open transfer rules have had on education, especial-ly for smaller, rural schools. He said he also supports school choice and believes parents should be able to choose the school they feel is going to best serve their student.
“I feel like Paoli can be that place. It can be that school that offers the highest quality of instruction for their students. We’re going to work as hard as we can to build that trust, build those systems and create those opportunities to bring those kiddos back home,” he said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take some time, and it’s going to take some work. We’re going to have to roll up our sleeves, and everybody’s going to have to get involved.”
Board member Meyers said he believes people want small, rural school districts and the individualized attention, sense of community and quality education they can provide.
McReynolds said he has been employed by districts at both ends of the enrollment spectrum, and he also feels smaller rural schools have something unique to offer.
“I love small, rural schools. I have worked at Nashoba, Oklahoma, which is a small K-8 school with around 30 kids, and I’ve worked at MISD [Midland Independent School District], a 6-A school with 31,000 kids,” McReynolds said. “My heart is in small, rural schools.”
McReynolds said as he steps into the new role he is committed to an open-door policy, both with parents and the community.
“My door is always open. I always have time for the community to come in and visit and express their concerns and let me know what we can do to make things better at Paoli schools,” McReynolds said. “We have a lot of people here who care about the community, and that’s great. I’m really excited.”