Dear Faculty and Staff of the Prairie Grove School District:
I have been given the honor of being appointed as interim superintendent for the Prairie Grove School District. I am happy to fulfill this role until the school board determines an individual to fill the role for the future.
I want to take this time to thank Ms. Reba Holmes for her incredible leadership during her time serving the students and teachers of Prairie Grove Schools. I have been blessed to call her a mentor, and more importantly a friend, during the time I have had the pleasure to serve as Assistant Superintendent for the school district.
I have heard concerns expressed about the manner in which Ms. Holmes and Mr. Taylor are transitioning to retirement. Please know that they both are utilizing accrued but unused paid time off that is contractually owed to them. Their retirements will be effective upon the expiration of these days.
I also come into this position with a full understanding of how we got here and why members of our "Tiger Team" are upset. We will learn from the last several days and persevere together. For the benefit of our students, staff and community, we must remain committed to the legacy our district is known for and not let recent events define us.
I want to assure you that the major themes we launched for our district this year – the four legs of our tiger, student focus, collaboration, relationships, and results, will remain a priority, as will the continued focus of our Collaborative Learning Teams and the plan we have put together to continue their progress.
I have full faith and trust in our classified and certified staff and know that we will continue to serve our students to the best of our ability.
I look forward to working with you in this new capacity for the rest of the school year as we go through this transition. Over the past five years I have been fortunate to work in this district, I have been able to witness how Prairie Grove schools have a tradition and culture of success in serving our students and our community. I will strive to grow and maintain that culture and success in whatever capacity the members of our school board determine is best for our school district.
My door is always open to any of you who would like to talk.
Thank you.
-- Pete Joenks, Ed.S, Asst. Superintendent for curriculum & instruction