Wolfe retiring as Sedalia superintendent at end of 2011-12 year

Harriet Wolfe announced Wednesday morning that she will retire as superintendent of Sedalia School District 200 at the end of the 2011-12 academic year.

Wolfe has led the district since June 2008, when she was hired to succeed Doug Ebersold; at the time, she was serving as assistant superintendent in charge of finance and buildings and grounds. Wolfe made her announcement at a gathering of all district teachers, administrators and support staff at the Heckart Performing Arts Center at Smith-Cotton High School. She revealed news of her retirement after informing the crowd that, for the first time since the 2004-05 school year, the Sedalia district got all 14 points in its annual performance report from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Board of Education President Scott Gardner said Wolfe has been integral to “a great deal of our success” in the district. “We owe her an awful lot.”

Assistant Superintendent Brad Pollitt called Wolfe “the top education financial manager in the state” and a “tremendous instructional leader.”

“That is evident with the APR results,” he said.

Bill Betteridge, principal at Heber Hunt Elementary School, worked with Wolfe for five years in the Pilot Grove district.

“She is the best all-around school person I have ever worked with,” Betteridge said.
In announcing her pending retirement, Wolfe noted that since 1882, there have been 18 superintendents for the Sedalia school district, the longest serving being Heber Hunt (1927-1958). Wolfe said when Hunt announced his retirement from the position, he said it was “a hard job ... more difficult than people realize” and argued that it is “the hardest job in town” and that it would grow more difficult over time due to rising enrollments, increased needs for resources and greater taxation levels for residents.

“As I begin my ninth year with the district, I believe the past eight years have been the smoothest this district has ever had” because of the efforts of teachers, staff and school board members, Wolfe said.

Gardner said that within the next few days, the board will advertise the superintendent position internally and “with any publication that superintendents and potential candidates anywhere in Missouri might read.” He said the board wants applications submitted by Sept. 29 so members can begin evaluating résumés and start the interview process in late October. He said the goal is to announce a new superintendent in late November or early December.

“We owe it to people to have somebody in place,” Gardner said. He stressed that the process will be done “openly” and that the board expects internal and external candidates to apply.

“We are serious in looking for the best overall candidate, whomever he or she may be,” Gardner said. “We can’t possibly replace Dr. Wolfe,” and while her financial background has been a boon for the district, “We want somebody who also has experience in other areas.”

The board president also said the hiring process will not be “window dressing for the ‘good old boy’ network.”

“If we pick someone, we want to ensure we have the best person to be the next superintendent,” Gardner said.

Pollitt said Wolfe is “a great leader” who is “very knowledgeable on public education.”

“She has worked tirelessly with building administrators ... so they can hold teachers accountable for meeting students’ needs,” Pollitt said.

He also thanked residents for granting the 20-year, 55-cent levy that allowed construction of the high school, a project he and Wolfe oversaw.

“I am so proud of this building,” he said, “and I am so proud of our taxpayers.”

During Wednesday morning’s meeting, Wolfe said everyone in attendance had a hand in the APR score.

“My vision for Sedalia has always been for it to be the leading district in the area,” she said. “With this APR, we have shown we can do it.” She then announced her plans to retire, saying she was going to “leave on a high note.”

Later, Wolfe said she has been in education for 41 years, and has been contemplating retirement for the past couple of years. She wanted to give the board the opportunity “to do as much organizing and planning for a smooth transition as possible.”

She said district leadership has been rather stable for as long as she has been in Sedalia and she thought it was “a good time for the district to move forward with new leadership.” She credited her administrative team for her successes, saying they made “all the difference in the world.”

Martin White, who retired as Smith-Cotton High principal in the spring and will serve as a part-time instructional coach at Heber Hunt, said Wolfe’s “record speaks for itself.”

“What a way to go out,” White said, referring to the APR results. Education is “all about pride, and she is all about that.”

Betteridge said Wolfe “has done a tremendous amount of good for our district. ... She has been a mentor for my school career, and I owe her a lot.”

He said Wolfe is leaving “some big shoes to fill — they may be galoshes.”