Fulton Public Schools Superintendent Jacque Cowherd has announced he will retire in June 2020.
Cowherd said this decision first materialized two years ago, when he elected not to sign another three-year contract with the district. After his wife retired this year, he said now would be the perfect time.
"I made the decision a couple of years ago and thought (2020) is probably the year. Then when my wife retired, I thought, 'Well, I guess we need to do some other things,'" Cowherd said.
Cowherd has been superintendent of FPS for the past 11 years - which is uncommon, as the average superintendent will work in a district for about three years, according to FPS Board of Education President Emily Omohundro. He has worked in education for 43 years - a large majority of his professional life.
Cowherd worked for a school district in Columbia as deputy superintendent, joined the Missouri School Board Association, and worked as a college administrator and a teacher at a number of small schools, one being in Marshall.
"My granddad worked 52 years for the railroad, and I said, 'I can't do that,'" he joked.
Cowherd formally gave notice of his retirement in a letter to the board last week. He and Omohundro have been discussing and planning this matter for the past year to ensure the board had adequate time to perform a job search.
At Wednesday's board meeting, the members discussed the search process. Cowherd said he will not play a role.
"I shouldn't be involved, nor should any of the staff members around here be involved. That's a board function," Cowherd said.
The board is exploring a number of options for replacement. A majority involve hiring an outside search committee such as the Missouri School Boards Association. However, some board members believe they don't need to search far for Cowherd's replacement.
"I say we should be looking for an assistant superintendent because (Assistant Superintendent Ty Crane) is the man for the job," board member Verdis Lee Sr. said.
The board's search committee is comprised of Omohundro and Andy Bonderer. Bonderer said over the next few weeks the board will be gathering data and begin identifying characteristics they want for Cowherd's replacement. The board looks to select and vote on the search committee at its Oct. 11 meeting.
"This winter is the ideal time of year to do this search because spring is just a busy time for everybody, and it's just nice to have some certainty about what the succession plan will look like," Omohundro said.
Cowherd said the new superintendent will take over in July 2020. He said this decision was and "still is" difficult for him.
"I always like to think I can stay current, but it gets harder every day. Maybe it's time I fish a little bit," Cowherd said.