New Fayetteville school chief settling in

FAYETTEVILLE -- The new superintendent of the Fayetteville School District wants to develop a stronger partnership with the University of Arkansas.

Matthew Wendt, 48, who started July 1, has already met once with UA Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz -- and they plan more meetings.

"I just believe there's something about the university and the location of the public school system that should involve a partnership and a working relationship like none other," Wendt said.

Steinmetz, who became UA chancellor Jan. 1, and Wendt are weeks away from the first day of school for both of their institutions.

They have pledged to meet often, Steinmetz said. Their first meeting lasted 90 minutes and involved a discussion of their backgrounds and the importance of both organizations in working together, especially given their close proximity. The two likely will meet again in September, he said.

"The geography is really set up for great cooperation," Steinmetz said. "We'll look to the future of exploiting that geography and the closeness of the institution and the programs we can offer for Fayetteville High School students."

In addition to UA, he wants to get to know the leadership of Fayetteville's private and charter schools.

Between school events and meetings with area education leaders, Wendt is keeping his calendar full. In his brief time with the school district, Wendt knows some of the issues facing Fayetteville schools, but he likely does not yet know all the questions to ask, he said.

He doesn't anticipate any broad changes for the entire school district, but he said he plans on working to identify and close gaps and weaknesses.

One way he is trying to build his knowledge of the district is by reaching out to past Fayetteville superintendents, including Bobby New, who still lives in Fayetteville.

Wendt will begin to discuss his vision for Fayetteville students at the back-to-school convocation for teachers next month. He's interested in a high school system where seniors complete most required coursework by 11th grade so they have more time in their final year for apprenticeships, job shadowing, volunteer work or college-level classes.

"We'll see if anybody falls out of their seat," he said.

Wendt said he's watched education change over the years, starting as a child growing up on a farm in southeast Kansas. His father was a coach and teacher; his mother gave music lessons.

When Wendt was in school, he remembers learning facts, events and dates, information today's students can find with a simple search on a smartphone, he said.

Teachers have to make the most of their time with their students, so he wants them to think about whether it's more important to teach the same facts students can find with a smartphone or whether the students need to develop thinking skills to discover information, Wendt said.

Wendt began his career in 1990 as a high school English teacher in Kansas. He's worked in administration for 20 years, including three years as a principal in the Fowler Unified School District in Kansas, where he got his first job as a superintendent.

He spent five years as superintendent of Ankeny Community Schools in Ankeny, Iowa, and came to Fayetteville after four years as superintendent of Community Unit District No. 308 in Oswego, Ill. In between being the Fowler superintendent and the Ankeny superintendent, he spent seven years as an assistant superintendent for the Pittsburg Unified School District in Kansas.

Even though he has previous experience as a superintendent, Wendt is newly licensed in Arkansas. State law requires him to participate in the yearlong Arkansas School Superintendent Mentoring Program. The program reconnected him with Benny Gooden, who retired last month as the Fort Smith Public Schools superintendent after 30 years with the district. Gooden, who is an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas, was an instructor for Wendt while he worked on his doctorate.

"It's incredible that he would have been a part of my initial coursework," Wendt said. "Here he is as my mentor."

Gooden is glad for Wendt to come to Arkansas, he said.

Successful superintendents need a set of skills to understand the community culture and to handle changes that occur within the local community and in education, Gooden said. They need the ability to hire good people to fill all the roles in a school district.

"He was a very able student," Gooden said. "You would have predicted from the way he performed in the academic setting that he was going to be an excellent superintendent. He's proven that."

"One of our messages is, 'We need to be Fayetteville and not someplace else,'" Wendt said. "A lot of great people before us worked to make sure Fayetteville was a strong and vibrant district."

Metro on 07/24/2016