After one year on the job, Crystal City School District Superintendent Steven Barnes will leave at the end of the school year to head up the Morgan County R-2 School District in the southwestern part of the state, where he previously worked.
Barnes, 51, became the Crystal City superintendent on July 1, 2019, filling a vacancy after Philip Harrison was placed on paid administrative leave and then retired.
Barnes’ salary at Crystal City is $120,000. He said his new salary as Morgan County superintendent has not been announced.
The Crystal City district has 570 students enrolled, including preschoolers, and Morgan County has about 1,400, also including preschoolers, Barnes said.
Before coming to Crystal City, Barnes was an assistant superintendent at Morgan County R-2, which is based in Versailles.
He will start his new job as superintendent of that school district on July 1.
“The opportunity came up to move back home,” Barnes said. “It was something I couldn’t possibly pass up.”
The Crystal City School District Board of Education voted 7-0 Monday to accept Barnes’ resignation effective June 30.
“It’s no problem,” said Ken Holdinghausen, the board president. “He was offered the superintendent position at (Morgan County). His family’s there. There’s no bad blood. He wouldn’t have left if this opportunity hadn’t come up.
“He’s going to help us in our search for a new superintendent. We hope to have someone hired within the next month.”
Barnes said district leaders are wasting no time in seeking his replacement.
“We’re going to get started right away,” he said. “They (school board members) are not using a service. They’re going to do it themselves.”
The deadline to apply for the position is March 23, he said.
Barnes said he has enjoyed his time leading the Crystal City School District.
“My year here has been fantastic and I have already made many great connections and friends,” he said. “I hate to go.”
Barnes’ replacement will be the third full-time Crystal City School District superintendent since last year, not to mention two part-time interim superintendents.
After Harrison was placed on paid administrative leave Aug. 29, 2018, he retired as the district’s superintendent Feb. 14, 2019. Two retired administrators filled in during the interim – Robert Borman from September 2018 to February 2019 and D.J. Goodwin from February 2019 until Barnes came on board July 1, 2019.
The Morgan County district also has seen a recent succession of district leadership. According to published reports, longtime Superintendent Joyce Ryerson resigned and retired after a dispute with the district’s Board of Education. The district is now led by interim Superintendent Sid Doerhoff, according to the district website.