Berry assumes helm of Rogers School District

ROGERS -- Marlin Berry has enjoyed a long career in education, though it's not exactly what he envisioned as a young man.

"I wanted to be a journalist," Berry said. "I went to journalism school at the University of Kansas. I thought Sports Illustrated would fly me all over the country to cover sporting events."

Berry had a good experience as editor of his high school newspaper. His high school journalism teacher was a big influence on him, he said.

Somewhere along the line, however, Berry gravitated toward education, following in the footsteps of both of his parents. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father was a teacher and principal who finished his career as a dean at the college level.

Berry, 60, officially began Friday as the Rogers School District's new superintendent. He replaced Janie Darr, who had been superintendent since 1999.

His career in education spans more than 35 years. He started as a high school English teacher in the Topeka, Kan., area. He also was the school newspaper sponsor and coached boys basketball for four years.

At just 26 years old he became principal of a high school in Lindsborg, Kan. He went on to serve as a superintendent in three different Kansas school districts for a combined 22 years, most recently the Olathe School District outside Kansas City.

'One of the folks'

Berry was assistant superintendent in Olathe for three years and superintendent there the past six years. The Kansas School Superintendents' Association selected him as its 2013 Kansas Superintendent of the Year.

Michael Wilkes, Olathe's city manager, said he's sad to see Berry leave.

"He did a tremendous job here as superintendent," Wilkes said. "He certainly had a vision for what he felt the future of the school district was and went about doing what was necessary to make that happen."

The district opened five new buildings because of heavy growth during Berry's six years as superintendent.

An Olathe survey done last year showed 88 percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with public education in Olathe, up from 86 percent on the city's 2014 survey.

While Berry is smart and hardworking, he's also very humble and unassuming, Wilkes said.

"He's just one of the folks, and that's a very endearing characteristic and one that has helped him be as successful as he is," Wilkes said.

Berry served on the Olathe Chamber of Commerce's Council of Advisors. Tim McKee, the chamber's chief executive officer, said Rogers is getting a great leader and great man.

"One of his most endearing qualities is his investment in the students, teachers and staff of the Olathe School District," McKee said. "If you had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Berry, even once, you would instantly feel comfortable and know that he had your best interests in mind in every decision he made."

McKee called Berry "immensely popular" in Olathe. News of his resignation caught many by surprise, he said.

"His down-to-earth personality and sensational sense of humor made him one of the most beloved members of the community. His compassion, sincerity and guidance will be sorely missed," McKee said.

Rick Schier, president of the Olathe School Board, couldn't be reached for comment last week, but a district news release in April regarding Berry's resignation quoted Schier wishing Berry well.

"We are saddened to see Dr. Berry leave, but wish him the best of luck in the future," Schier said. "We are incredibly grateful for his years of service and all that he has done for the district and its students and staff."

Berry, when asked to list the most meaningful accomplishments of his career, said whatever accomplishments he would cite come from being part of a team.

"It's a team effort. In Olathe it's been dealing with growth, getting ahead of that growth, keeping up with the programs, attracting, recruiting and retaining good teachers. We've put in some good programs for kids in 21st century learning. Our test scores have continued to go up. We've passed bond issues by a very positive amount. It's been the whole picture of working as a team in a very positive community," he said.

Committed to Rogers

Olathe is the second-largest school district in Kansas with about 30,000 students. That's bigger than any district in Arkansas. Rogers has about 15,000 students.

Berry's move could be perceived as a step back in terms of prestige, judging by the size of the districts alone. That doesn't seem to bother Berry, who said he and his wife, Judy, are drawn to Rogers both as a community and a school district.

"Bigger is not always better," he said. "I've loved my time in Olathe. I could have stayed a long time. But there was something about the community of Rogers that drew us there."

"One of the things I don't like about an extremely large district is not knowing everyone who works for us. I enjoy that engagement with the staff and the kids."

Berry also hinted at frustration with Kansas over its school finance system, an ongoing issue there. Last summer the Olathe district announced about $2 million in budget cuts for the 2015-16 school year "because of increased costs and continued district growth in a time of reduced and frozen funding from the state," according to a district news release at the time.

"We will miss Kansas, but there are some challenges I won't miss," Berry said. "We've had challenges due to lack of revenue, but we've continued to do a good job in the classroom. That's been the challenge for any district in working with the Legislature."

Berry has lived in Kansas his entire life except for two years he spent in Decatur, Ill., as a youth.

He said he looks forward to a long tenure in his new district. He and his wife already have moved into a home in southwest Rogers near Bellview Elementary School.

"We're committed and interested in Rogers only and really looking forward to being there," he said.

The road ahead

Berry, who will earn $219,954 in his first year in Rogers, is entering a district experiencing significant change at the top of the organization. Five of the top administrators, including Darr, are leaving this summer either for retirement or another job.

In addition, the two School Board members whose terms are expiring this year -- Lisa Anderson and Byron Black -- have announced they won't seek re-election.

The turnover doesn't worry Berry.

"There are still great team members left there who are eager and ready to keep things moving forward," he said. "Dr. Darr has done a wonderful job in the district. One of the comforting things is she will not be far away."

Darr has said she'll continue living in Rogers.

Berry is unsure what he'll do with the deputy superintendent's position, left vacant by the retirement of Mark Sparks. He will consider possible changes in the administrative structure before filling that job, he said.

Berry sees a lot of good things happening in the district, he said. He plans to listen and learn a lot during his first year and look for ways to make the district stronger.

Coming into a new district presents "a real learning curve, even if you're an experienced administrator," Berry said. "There are so many good programs and successes kids are having. I certainly want to keep that going."

NW News on 07/03/2016