Fayetteville board to pay new superintendent $218,000

FAYETTEVILLE -- The School Board unanimously approved a three-year contract with an annual salary of $218,000 for Matthew Wendt to become superintendent starting July 1.

The contract provides Wendt with access to a School District vehicle and opportunities for an annual salary increase if deemed appropriate by the board, said Tim Hudson, board president.

Matthew Wendt

• Teacher, substitute teacher and coach in Kansas schools from 1990 to 1996

• Principal of Fowler Junior/Senior High School from July 1996 to June 1999

• Superintendent of Fowler, Kan., Unifed School District from July 1999 to June 2000

• Assistant superintendent for learning in Pittsburg, Kan., Unified School District from July 2000 to June 2007

• Superintendent of Ankeny, Iowa, Community Schools from July 2007 to June 2012

• Superintendent of Community Unit School District 308 in Oswego, Ill., since July 2012

Source: Staff report

The board also approved JoAnna Lever, an instructional facilitator for the district, as director of the district's new online charter school, Fayetteville Virtual Academy. The school will open in August for fourth- through eighth-graders.

Lever will earn a salary of $76,950, starting July 1.

"I think the opportunity that it's going to present for the students in Arkansas are very unique and will cater to their needs," Lever said.

The search for a new superintendent began in October after Superintendent Paul Hewitt announced plans to retire at the end of the school year. The board received more than 30 applications and interviewed five candidates over a two-week period this month.

The board named Wendt as its top choice Tuesday.

Wendt, 47, is a 26-year educator, who started his career in Kansas. He has been a superintendent or assistant superintendent in four districts in Kansas, Iowa and Illinois.

He is in his fourth year as superintendent of the 18,300-student Community Unit School District 308 in Oswego, Ill. His wife Dawn Wendt is a teacher with two decades of experience in gifted education. Their son Ryan is a student at the University of Arkansas, and their daughter Rachel is a student at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan.

Wendt has said he anticipates the Board of Education in Oswego will vote on his resignation as early as Feb. 8.

Hewitt looks forward to taking Wendt next week to see Fayetteville schools that together reach more than 9,650 students, he said. Activities are being set for Thursday and Friday for Wendt and his wife.

Hewitt knows Wendt professionally. Hewitt was an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Arkansas before becoming Fayetteville superintendent. Wendt earned a doctorate in educational leadership and administration from the university in 2005. Hewitt talked with Wendt at professional conferences.

"There's always some anxiety and some concern when a new superintendent comes in," Hewitt said during Thursday's board meeting. "Come into my office, walk along the wall in my office. This district has only had nine superintendents since 1871. This community is not used to changing superintendents."

Wendt has experienced some challenges and had some difficult jobs that made him unpopular with some people, but districts do well when decisions are made ethically, morally and for the benefit of all children, Hewitt said.

The board put a priority on finding a superintendent with the skills and experience to take a strategic plan under development and move the district the school district into the future, Hudson said.

Wendt did his homework on Fayetteville and has a grasp on where the district is, what community and staff are doing through the Framing Our Future process and the direction the district is going, Hewitt said.

Framing Our Future is an ongoing effort to develop a five-year strategic plan for Fayetteville School District. Action teams are meeting to identify strategies to achieve 10 goals identified in the fall by a planning team, said Shay Hopper, who is leading the effort with Holly Smith. The process will conclude this summer.

"He's the kind of strong leader who's going to work very well and fit our community," Hewitt said.

NW News on 01/29/2016

Upcoming Events