Fort Smith school chief ending run

Fort Smith School District Superintendent Benny Gooden, right, is shown in this file photo.
Fort Smith School District Superintendent Benny Gooden, right, is shown in this file photo.

Fort Smith School District Superintendent Benny Gooden, the second-longest serving school superintendent in Arkansas, will retire effective June 30.

Gooden, 71, broke the news to the Fort Smith School Board on Monday night while giving the superintendent's report during a regularly scheduled meeting.

"After reflecting on your stated desire for a new direction and with a realization that there are other pursuits for me which the obligations of the job have prevented, I have decided that it is time to transition from the 24/7 life of a school administrator to a less-confining lifestyle," Gooden wrote in a letter to the board. "I am not 'quitting work,' but there are other things I can do which will be rewarding and productive."

Gooden has served as the district's chief executive since August 1986, when he filled a vacancy left by the late Claude Garrison. Gooden has seen the district grow from about 12,000 students to 14,383, making it the sixth-largest system in the state.

His 30-year tenure is well above the national and state average for superintendents, which is just less than six years, according to Richard Abernathy, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. Gooden's tenure is second in the state to Jim Rollins, the Springdale Public Schools superintendent, who is in his 34th year leading that district.

"This district is in a period of transition," Gooden said Tuesday. "They're looking to do some things that are different and, hey, more power to them. It's a great time for me to do something else."

Jeannie Cole, an 18-year member of the School Board and current vice president, said she wasn't totally surprised by Gooden's decision because of the challenges the district has faced over the past year.

Chief among them was a debate surrounding the School Board's decision to ditch Fort Smith Southside High School's Rebel mascot and "Dixie" fight song that some perceived as symbols of racial insensitivity, erasing a 52-year tradition at the school. The move was initiated by the board, not Gooden.

"He helped us weather that storm," Cole said. "Things like that have taken a toll."

School Board President Deanie Mehl said Gooden's resignation was a shock to her.

"I had no idea before he started reading the letter that the resignation was coming," she said. "Initially, I was very taken aback. I immediately started thinking about the steps it would take to recruit a new superintendent. This is an awkward time to be doing that process, this late in the year."

Mehl said the board likely will map out a strategy for its search for Gooden's replacement at its meeting May 9.

Cole was one of two School Board members who voted earlier this month to extend Gooden's contract through 2019, but the vote failed 5-2. Mehl was among those who voted against it but said her vote was in no way a "no-confidence" vote and that she hopes it didn't factor into Gooden's resignation.

"I knew that in the near future we were going to have to go through a transition where he would no longer be our superintendent, and I thought that this was a kind of a way to begin that process," Mehl said.

"He's a legend," she continued. "I just thought as a community we had to start to look to life after Dr. Gooden."

Gooden said his age was a factor in his decision.

"We've done a lot, but there are things that are still undone that we need to be doing in the next few years," he said. "Realistically, at my age, I can't see all that to its completion. It's not going to happen."

Gooden, a native of Clinton, has spent 50 years in education. He had been an administrator and superintendent at schools in Missouri for 18 years before coming to Arkansas. He started his career teaching music in Alma under Superintendent Charles Dyer, and Gooden said he had wanted to be a superintendent since he was in high school.

Over three decades, Gooden became adept at serving a changing student population and educating children from diverse backgrounds with limited resources. The Fort Smith district has not had a millage increase since 1987, the year after Gooden's arrival.

Many who know Gooden agree that his focus throughout his career has been the students.

"One of his crowning achievements is that he's known first and foremost for how much he cares for the importance of education for all children, regardless of their demographic," Cole said. "He knows education is their key for a successful future, and everything has been driven by that."

The affluent will always find success, Gooden said, which is why he championed those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"For those who lack the resources which relative affluence brings, a strong and balanced array of public school opportunities delivered in an uncompromising manner is critical to their successful futures," Gooden said in his letter to the board. "Real school choice for them lies in the comprehensive Pre-K-12 program that is Fort Smith public schools.

"Private options, charter schools with a narrow focus, virtual programs and other niche offerings will receive attention and may excite some who seek something 'different,' but they will not replace the comprehensive focus of the wide range of Fort Smith Public School options," he added.

Mitch Llewellyn, a Fort Smith lawyer who was on the School Board when Gooden was hired, said Gooden was never one to mince words.

"He was very vocal in trying to provide the best education for kids he could," Llewellyn said.

Rollins, the Springdale superintendent, described Gooden as the most distinguished school superintendent in the state.

"He's been respected by other superintendents and the governors of the state, and he's played an enormous role at the national level," Rollins said.

Gooden said the highlight of his career outside of his day-to-day duties was his years of service, committee work and board leadership for the American Association of School Administrators.

Gooden was president of the association 2012-2013. As president he received a $50,000 honorarium, which he donated to the Fort Smith Public School Foundation to endow a scholarship. He also donated his last raise, 1 percent of his annual $202,000 salary, to the scholarship endowment in 2013.

Gooden said he has taught one class in educational leadership per semester for the University of Arkansas for more than 15 years and hopes to continue that, as well as other "educational pursuits." He said he also is looking forward to playing with his three boxers and spending more time with his seven grandchildren, who live in California, Wisconsin and Fort Smith.

"People who know me know that I don't handle idleness well," he said.

A Section on 04/27/2016

Upcoming Events