The De Soto Board of Education has added another year to Superintendent Ron Farrow’s three-year contract, extending it through the 2027-2028 school year.
This is Farrow’s first school year as superintendent after previously serving as assistant superintendent of curriculum. He currently is paid a $155,000 annual salary, and his salary for next school year has not been set.
Ron Farrow
Farrow said administrator salary increases won’t be determined until April after the district sets teacher salary schedules.
The school board voted unanimously Feb. 20 to extend Farrow’s contract.
The board also approved one-year contract extensions for Shawn Brown, assistant superintendent of curriculum who came to the district this school year from Hannibal School District, and for Joshua Phipps, who took over as assistant superintendent of school operations this school year after working as the De Soto Junior High principal. Brown is being paid $127,800 and Phipps $122,200 this school year, Farrow said.
“Our central office this year has almost everyone in new positions,” he said. “Mr. Brown joined us from Hannibal and has been able to dive right in and continue the success our district has been experiencing over the last several years. His experience in this role in Hannibal has been very beneficial in assisting him in knowing many of the state and federal requirements to keep our programs running smoothly.
“(Mr. Phipps) has been instrumental in the success of our bond issue initiatives, including new roofing and HVAC districtwide, upgraded lighting, new security cameras, upgraded technology infrastructure and, of course, our updates to our stadium facilities. His continued focus on student success in all areas has been key to our district continuing to grow in the midst of tight financial times from the state.”
Phipps said it is a blessing to have the trust and support of the school board and superintendent, adding that he will continue working to support students, teachers and the community.
Joshua Phipps, left, and Shawn Brown were hired as assistant superintendents for the 2024-2025 school year for the De Soto School District.
Brown said he is humbled and honored to continue the work at the De Soto School District.
“We have some very exciting changes ahead and I’m so happy to be here to support our students, teachers and families,” Brown said.
Farrow came to the district in 2017 as the principal of Athena Elementary and was promoted to assistant superintendent in 2021.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to serve the students, staff and community of De Soto,” he said. “Our intent from day one has been to work to provide the very best for our students, with the long term in mind. We want to ensure a lasting culture of success for all students, families and staff. I am honored to have the ability to serve for an extended period of time to see that work come to fruition.”
Farrow said he is proud of the success the district has experienced over the last several years.
“We continue to climb to the top of the county in all academic areas and continue to see our APR (Annual Performance Report) improve across the board,” Farrow said. “Thanks to our community and the passage of Prop4Dragons, our district facilities are getting much-needed upgrades at all campuses.”
He said the district’s biggest hurdles ahead are reductions in state funding
“I’m sure most in the community have heard about the reductions in state funding for education that have been announced by (Gov. Mike Kehoe),” Farrow said. “This will have a direct impact on school districts throughout the state and could be a loss of an additional $1 million in funding to De Soto.
He is thankful for the school board’s foresight to begin making needed changes throughout the district to get “back to a balanced budget and ensure we are fiscally prepared for ongoing reductions at the state level.”
Farrow said the board also voted unanimously on Feb. 20 to approve contracts for the 2025-2026 school year for the district’s 14 other administrators and directors.