Longtime Meramec Heights Elementary School educator Jason Bahr will head up the school next school year following his recent promotion.
Bahr, an assistant principal at the school, has been named Meramec Heights’ next principal and will continue his career as an educator in the same school building he has worked at since 2006.
He is replacing Dustin Bain, who recently was promoted to assistant superintendent of elementary education for the Fox C-6 School District.
Fox Board of Education members voted unanimously during an April 23 closed meeting to promote Bahr, 48, of Imperial.
Bahr will be paid a $113,000 salary during the 2024-2025 school year as principal. His current annual salary is $80,000 as an assistant principal.
Bain, 41, of Barnhart will be paid a $145,000 salary next school year as an assistant superintendent, up from the $130,412.41 he earns this school year. Bain will replace Randy Gilman, who is retiring at the end of this school year and whose salary is $155,802.69.
Bahr said he’s delighted about the promotion.
“It was in my mind that I would hopefully one day run this building,” said Bahr, who taught fourth grade at Meramec Heights for 17 years before becoming assistant principal at the start of this school year. “This place is like a second home to me. I have built so many relationships that have continued with families and students, even after they have left the school.”
Bain said he believes Bahr was a great choice to take over.
“I feel really good about how the transition is going to take place,” Bain said. “Jason has been in the building for 18 years. He knows the building inside and out when it comes to logistical things, and more importantly, he knows the building from a culture and climate and achievement perspective. Those things would be a big learning curve for somebody outside of the building coming in. That is a huge piece of the puzzle. He knows the ins and outs of this building. He knows the students by name.
“(The students) are super excited, and the staff is super excited.”
Bahr said he was a manager at several Domino’s restaurants before starting his career in education.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Baptist University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Southwest Baptist University. He was the 2020 Fox C-6 District Teacher of the Year.
“I am certain that we will continue to see Meramec Heights students and staff thrive under his leadership,” Fox C-6 Superintendent Paul Fregeau said in a written statement announcing Bahr’s promotion.
Bahr’s wife, Crista, is a sixth grade social studies teacher at Ridgewood Middle School. The couple has two sons, Luke, 26, and Ryker, 17, who will graduate from Fox High School in May.
Ready for bigger role
Bahr said his first year as an assistant principal has prepared him to lead Meramec Heights next school year.
“I am learning from the experiences I have each day,” he said. “One great thing is I already had some pretty strong relationships built with families who I either already had in class or I had met in other avenues. A lot of the conversations I have had with parents came pretty easy because we already had a relationship built and we had mindset to work as a team to make their child the best they could be.”
Bain said this school year has been like an interview for Bahr to take over as principal, adding that he has been impressed with how Bahr has handled his first year as an assistant principal.
“His interactions with the families and students has stood out,” Bain said. “That is one thing when you are interviewing someone you can’t simulate. He does a great job of working with families and students, whether it is a positive situation or a tough situation that you have to work through. That is one thing in the principal role you have to be able to do. He has done a tremendous job with that this year.
“He also has a good and solid relationship with the staff. His relationship is one where he can lead them, pep them up and give them praise, but if there is a time that there needs to be a tough conversation, he has shown he can do that as well.”
Bahr said Bain has helped him grow as a school administrator.
“Dr. Bain has allowed me to be involved in a lot of aspects of the school,” Bahr said. “I don’t know if I would have been prepared to take over if he hadn’t involved me. His tutelage has been endless.”
Bahr said he is eager to work more as an instructional leader next school year.
“This year, I mainly dealt with behavior and things like that,” he said. “I am looking forward to being that instructional leader and utilizing data to improve the success of students here at Meramec.”
Bain said Bahr has an amazing work ethic, which will serve Meramec Heights well.
“He is a good human being,” Bain added. “He has a heart for kids. He has a heart for the staff. He genuinely wants to work as a team with the families. I am confident he is going to do a great job here at Meramec Heights.”