ELKINS — At a special meeting called by the Elkins School Board on Wednesday, Jan. 27, hired Tom Louks as the interim superintendent for the remainder of the school year pending recertification and a background check.
Louks’ superintendent’s certificate expired approximately threeweeks ago, but he had already spoken to the Arkansas Department of Education about renewal.
Louks retired in 2005 after spending eight years at Prairie Grove. Before that, Louks was the assistant superintendent at Ozark for 13 years. Louks said he had been in education for 30 years with 24 of those years as anadministrator.
He had received a message from the Elkins School Board after returning home on Tuesday night. After thinking about the message overnight Louks was called again on Wednesday morning.
“My Mom and Daddy raised me that if the neighbors are in trouble you’re supposed to help them,” Louks said, adding retirement had been very good to him but under the circumstances he was willing to help out. “If I can help someone out, I am going to do it.”
The board called Louks into an executive session for an interview before going back into executive session to talk among themselves about the position and whether or not to offer Louks the job.
Board President Bryan Delozier called everyone back into the meeting and shaking Louks’ hand said. “Let me be the first to welcome you aboard.”
Louks took over as interim superintendent Monday, Feb.1, and will remain until the end ofthe fiscal school year which will be in June. He will be paid the remainder of the money left under Mike Harris’ contract. Harris died suddenly on Saturday, Jan. 23. He had been with the district since July 2008.
“I hope we can pick up and move forward in spite of this tragedy to this school and its community,” Louks said.
The board is also considering which dates will work best to meet with McPherson and Jacobson, a search firm out of Omaha, Nebraska. Board member Bob Warren had contacted the firm and reported the firm said that they would be willing to come to Elkins and talk to the board about a search for a new superintendent. The firm is the same one the board used to find Harris in 2008.
Some dates that would work best were discussed. Warren will contact the company to set a date in the next week or two to meet with a representative of the firm.
News, Pages 1 on 02/04/2010
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