Board of Education Votes Unanimously to Extend Contract for Superintendent John Jungmann Through 2020-2021 School Year
The Board of Education for Springfield Public Schools has completed its annual performance evaluation of the superintendent, Dr. John Jungmann. After a thorough review, the school board voted unanimously, during executive session on Jan. 23, to extend Dr. Jungmann’s contract through the 2020-2021 school year. This is the fourth contract extension of Dr. Jungmann’s tenure, which began July 1, 2014.
“Dr. Jungmann is doing what we have asked him to do,” said Gerry Lee, president of the SPS Board of Education. “We are very happy with his performance over the past year, which is taking the district in the right direction for the benefit of our students, staff and community. That work supports a future workforce that is well-suited to meet the needs of this community and region. We know that when our school district succeeds, our community succeeds.”
“The Board is very proud of Dr. Jungmann’s work and we are eager to continue working with him,” said Jill Patterson, vice president of the SPS Board of Education. “His key achievements this year include the creation of innovative programs for kids, a commitment to opportunities for the success of all children in the district, and his visionary leadership.”
The Board of Education cited the following examples of innovative programs, designed for student success, and noted Dr. Jungmann’s “desire for SPS to be on the cutting-edge”:
- IGNiTE, Explore, Club Encore, Launch & GO CAPS
The Board of Education emphasized Dr. Jungmann’s focus on equity, demonstrated by his “total commitment to all students.” One example is the expansion of MSHSAA activities for middle school students.
Leadership was a key theme throughout this year’s evaluation, with the board noting the following comments:
- “Visionary and strategic thinker.”
- “Expertise in K-12 education.”
- “Energy and passion.”
“It is an honor to serve the students, teachers and support staff of Springfield Public Schools,” said Dr. Jungmann. “I am proud of this community and pleased to call Springfield home. Our Board of Education exemplifies extraordinary dedication through their service and leadership. I am thankful for their confidence in our leadership team, and I pledge my continued commitment and focus on behalf of our 25,000 students and 4,000 employees.”
About Dr. John Jungmann
Joining SPS in July 2014, Dr. Jungmann's focus has been to create a collective vision for the future of the district and engage students, parents, employees and community members in achieving that vision. Dr. Jungmann began his service to SPS by involving stakeholders in an envisioning process during his inaugural year. The result led to the creation of a new strategic plan, mission, vision, goals and values.
Focusing on every learner, every day, Dr. Jungmann leads SPS in efforts to ensure all students are prepared for tomorrow by providing engaging, relevant and personalized educational experiences. Four of Dr. Jungmann's key initiatives include:
- IGNiTE: A districtwide initiative that provides the resources and support necessary for all SPS teachers and students to access and experience an engaging, relevant and personalized learning environment. Ensuring equity of access to mobile technology for students and teachers is a key focus of the initiative, deployed over a three-year period.
- GO CAPS (Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Professional Studies): A collaboration among 11 area school districts and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce that gives students the opportunity to test drive their future, discover where their passions lie and learn alongside business leaders. It provides real-world, professional skills through a year-long immersion experience at partner businesses across the Ozarks. Currently, the program offers learning strands in entrepreneurship, medicine and health care; and IT and software solutions. In the coming year, GO CAPS will expand to include teacher education for students interested in K-12, higher education and even corporate training career pathways.
- GO CSD (Greater Ozarks Cooperating School Districts): A regional collaborative of southwest Missouri school districts for mutual improvements, shared resources and areas of expertise, and greater purchasing power.
- LAUNCH: Provides quality online learning options designed, developed and delivered by Missouri educators. Launch is Missouri's solution for course access issues for school districts and families in need of flexible and personalized learning options. The program continues to grow, now serving more than 30 school districts across the region.
In October 2016, Dr. Jungmann was named Missouri Superintendent of the Year and was also invited to represent SPS in the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, a national initiative that connects forward thinking leaders of the nation’s school districts to work together on shared priorities to improve outcomes for students.
Other professional accolades include being named 2016 Administrator of the Year by Missouri School Public Relations Association and being recognized by his peers as the 2009-2010 New Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Jungmann completed AASA's National Superintendent Certification Program in 2015 as a member of the inaugural class.
Dr. Jungmann's previous professional experience includes serving one year as superintendent and one year as deputy superintendent for Liberty Public Schools and four years as superintendent of the Monett R-1 School District. Dr. Jungmann began his educational career as a high school teacher and has served as an assistant high school principal and middle school principal.
He is a 1998 graduate of Missouri Southern State University and obtained his Master of Science in education and Specialist in educational administration degrees from Missouri State University. He earned a doctorate in education from the University of Arkansas in 2006.
Dr. Jungmann and his wife, Kerry, have three daughters.
Contract Details
Contract details and benefits, adopted by the Board of Education in January 2016, remain unchanged with this one-year extension. Dr. Jungmann’s annual base salary for 2017-2018 is $247,679.98. View full contract details.
About Springfield Public Schools
Springfield Public Schools (SPS) is Missouri’s largest school district, representing 25,000 students and nearly 4,000 employees. SPS has built a reputation of academic excellence rooted in a belief that the learning experience should be engaging, relevant and personal – for every learner, every day. In addition to traditional learning environments across 36 elementary schools, an intermediate school, nine middle schools, five high schools, a center for gifted education and three early childhood centers, SPS collaborates with community partners to offer more than a dozen choice programs that meet the diverse needs of each student and their community. For more information, visit www.sps.org.