Whether on the field or behind a desk, Mike Skelton, an assistant superintendent for the Jonesboro Public School District, is used to putting in a long day’s work. From coaching and teaching to his time spent as a principal, he’s put in numerous hours helping students achieve their potential in various roles. But much of Skelton’s own potential came from a different sort of field than the ones on which he spent time coaching.
“A lot of people don’t know that I grew up on a farm in southeast Missouri,” he said. “In the spring and summertime, and even into the fall, I was busy putting in 10- to 12-hour days working on the farm. I tell people I spent all my life working to get away from the farm, and I guess I’ll spend the rest of it working to get back to that. At the time, I didn’t have a choice but to be out in the fields putting in all those hours. But I look back now, and I think about the work effort that was instilled in me having to work on the farm. I hope that in time, I can prove to everybody that I have that same work ethic in my job as superintendent.”
After the resignation of former superintendent Jeff Collum in February, the Benton School Board has been actively looking to fill the position as staff and parents awaited an announcement as to who would be leading the district in the 2016-17 school year. In May, board members voted unanimously for Skelton to become Benton’s new superintendent. Heath Nix, school board president, said it was Skelton’s experience that made him stand out among the list of candidates.
“He’s worked in a lot of various positions in different school districts, so he’s seen from the elementary level all the way up,” Nix said. “We had a lot of superintendents that were good and could have done a good job, but we were just trying to find the best fit for not only the school district, but for the community, also. And he is the best fit for us as a school district and community and where we’re wanting to go right now. He’s a great guy.”
Although Skelton said he believed he was led to be an educator, for some time, the education field wasn’t something he had even considered. Like many teenagers walking across a stage to receive their hard-earned diplomas, his future wasn’t laid out before him in details. While he decided early in his years at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro to major in banking and finance, his home roots would lead him in a different direction.
“Coming out of high school, I actually didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Skelton said. “I have a brother; he’s 10 years younger than I am, so as I was in high school, he was just starting his Little League years. I actually used to coach a bunch of his teams. After probably my second year of college, I realized my true passion was working with young people and doing the coaching thing. I realized I wasn’t going to be a professional athlete, so the next best thing for me was if I couldn’t play it, at least be coaching it.”
After marrying his college sweetheart, Jamie, also an educator, Skelton started his career in the West Memphis School District. For nine years, the couple stayed in West Memphis, where his wife is originally from and where Skelton coached girls basketball, among other sports. His career then led him to Pocahontas and Paragould schools before he made it to his current role in Jonesboro, where he has spent the past seven years. Skelton will begin his newest journey in Benton on July 1.
“I’ve just been so fortunate to work with some of the finest in the business,” Skelton said, remembering many of the administrators he has worked with, along with staff and students. “I look back, and man, those relationships I had. Some of those kids that I coached back then are still like family to me. I’m still in contact with them. I’m still in touch with many of their families, and when I go back there to visit, it’s just like one big family.”
While Skelton is still busy ending the school year at Jonesboro, a new group of staff, students and parents in Benton are looking to see what changes they can expect in the coming school year. He said he plans to continue much of what has already been put in place at Benton, but his focus, as it has been in previous roles, remains in three areas.
“First and foremost is the safety and security of our students, our staff, of our school,” Skelton said. “The way things are nowadays, you can never be too cautious or too involved. We want to make sure that students feel safe when they come to school. The second area has to do with our academics. We want to provide as high a level of academic program as we can possibly provide. Whether that’s through concurrent coursework or through specific programs and initiatives that are in place, we want to develop those and make those the best that we possibly can. The last and final thing I would say is expectations of students and staff. We want to set those things at such a high level and be very clear in our communication of what those expectations are.”
Skelton said he and his wife are looking forward to the next chapter of their life in Benton, although their son, Tyler, will remain in Jonesboro while he finishes his degree at Arkansas State University. The couple just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and are looking for the right home in Benton, although it’s a bit farther from another passion of theirs, the Memphis Grizzles. With a laugh, Skelton said at least he will be closer to the Dallas Cowboys.
But as Skelton looks forward to the new school year, he recognizes it will be the students that his role will most impact as he begins making plans and forming relationships to prepare another generation for their futures.
“Working toward whatever it is they’re working toward, whether it’s going into the workforce or college, that’s what we want to be about,” Skelton said. “It’s very important to involve people in meaningful discussions and conversations about where the community, where our parents, where our students, our staff want to see our school be in the next 10 years.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to come in and start having those conversations and start hearing what people have to say and where they want to see their school here in the near future.”