Jefferson R-7 School District Superintendent Clint Johnston has announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
Johnston, 53, is currently the longest-tenured superintendent in Jefferson County, having been at Jefferson R-7 for 12 years.
“After much conversation with family, I believe it is time to begin the process of moving to the next chapter of my life,” he wrote in his letter to the district’s Board of Education, which he read aloud at the Oct. 20 meeting.
Johnston said he wanted to give the district as much lead time as possible to prepare for his departure.
“I wanted to tell them now to allow the board to begin the process of hiring a deputy superintendent and transitioning to a new administration,” he said. “It has been and continues to be an unbelievable honor to serve as superintendent of schools for the Jefferson R-7 School District. I will forever be a part of the Blue Jay Nation.”
Health has played a significant role in Johnston’s decision. He was diagnosed with leukemia in the fall 2018 and is still undergoing chemotherapy. He is doing well in treatment, he says, and hopes to be declared in remission, but admits he has “lost a step or two” over the course of his battle.
“My dad said you don’t get to put sand back in the top of the hourglass,” Johnston said.
“You never know how many days you have in this world. I’ve spoken to my family, and it’s time.”
Board president Karen Koenig, a longtime resident and former district teacher, said Johnston’s shoes will be tough to fill.
“When he came, frankly, we were in poor financial shape,” she said. “We are in good shape and making progress. And if you look at the things that have taken place under his tenure – our attendance rate, our graduation rate, our ACT scores, our being named one of the ‘Top 10 Places to Work in St. Louis’ for the past six years – that speaks to his leadership. I think he has put together a good administrative team.”
Koenig said Johnston has done a particularly good job of molding his team to fit the district’s unique situation.
“He has understood and embraced the situation we have here, where the school is the focus of the community,” she said. “He has a big heart, and I have yet to see him be anything less than positive around the kids. He communicates well with the students and their families, and I think that pays off for the school.”
In 2019, the district hired an assistant superintendent, Amy Ramsdell, but she elected to leave at the end of last school year when her contract expired. Koenig said the board is not looking to hire another assistant at this time, but instead to bring on board a deputy superintendent who hopefully will train under Johnston over the next 20 months and then step into the superintendent role when Johnston leaves.
“Clint has been exactly what we needed over the last 12 years,” Koenig said. “He and I butt heads from time to time, but he holds this district in high regard and will do whatever needs to be done.
“When he goes, he will leave this district in as good a shape as he possibly can, and whoever replaces him in the best possible position for success. You can’t ask any more than that.”