Taylor steps up to lead R-I Personnel Department

When Jennifer Taylor initially learned about an opening at the Poplar Bluff School District during a time in which such opportunities were few and far between, she showed up as a student teacher without a resume and landed her first teaching job.

Stepping out of her comfort zone as a natural introvert and rising to the occasion when provided the chance gave her such a charge, she would soon make a name for herself. She described experiencing the same motivation during the current cycle of change across the district.

“Our buildings are in a really good place. I feel comfortable saying that, having sat and watched it all for 26 years,” she said, adding: “We don’t want to go backward.”

Hired by the Board of Education in February as assistant superintendent of personnel, Taylor is a believer in shared leadership, which is why she took the call to fill the vacancy in the cabinet left by her predecessor, Mike Owen, now superintendent at a neighboring district.

“Part of the responsibility in the shared leadership model is to step up and contribute in the absence of leaders” due to a string of staff retirements and other such career moves, explained Taylor. “What does it speak to my leadership if I’m not courageous enough to step out there and try to lead in a larger capacity?”

Eugene Field, where Taylor had served as principal since 2009, has been known for producing administrators throughout the district as well as across the region. Upon securing a $75,000 grant, the elementary school was able to adopt the Leader in Me program “designed to turn failing schools around,” Taylor said, and in 2016 achieved the prestigious Lighthouse status under the initiative and has obtained four successful re-certifications since.

“Mrs. Taylor exemplifies the type of educational leader capable of embracing new challenges and leveraging her extensive knowledge in school administration to effect positive change,” stated Dr. Aaron Cornman, R-I superintendent. “We eagerly anticipate not only her professional growth in this new capacity but also the multitude of significant accomplishments our district will attain under her adept administrative guidance.”

In 2022, the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals named Taylor one of only 11 Distinguished Principal Honorees statewide. The previous year, Eugene Field was listed at No. 8 in U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Elementary Schools’ out of over 1,000 ranked across Missouri. The year prior, the elementary was one of only two in the state, both in Poplar Bluff, to be named National ESEA Distinguished Schools out of 1,300 Title 1 educational institutions.

“When evaluating candidates for a high-level administrative role, such as a member of the superintendent’s cabinet, it is imperative to prioritize individuals with a demonstrable history of continuous improvement, professional and school-wide advancement and an unwavering dedication to achieving excellence,” Cornman continued. “The interview panel unanimously recognized Mrs. Taylor as an exemplary candidate, excelling in each of these areas during her tenure in the district.”

Her career with Poplar Bluff Schools began in 1998 as a first grade teacher in a balanced literacy model classroom at the former Mark Twain Elementary School. After two years, Mark Twain became a kindergarten, and Taylor would divide her time with Eugene Field as a reading recovery coach. She began to miss the classroom, she said, so Taylor took a position in 2004 as a fourth grade teacher at Eugene Field, where she excelled as Teacher of the Year, and then became a Reading First coach at Oak Grove a few years later. In addition to her principalship, she served as the district’s summer school director for over a decade.

Taylor earned her specialist degree in educational administration from William Woods University in Fulton in 2013. She has two master’s degrees, one in elementary education from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar and another in American history from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, where she also earned her bachelor’s in early childhood education.

Born in Florence, Taylor attended Lake Road and Oak Grove during her elementary years. She can remember as a child “lining up her stuffed animals to play school” in front of her “own little chalkboard,” she said. Attending Dexter as a high school student, there was a very active Future Teachers of America chapter with a cadet teaching opportunity for all students, she recalled, and that “just sealed the deal for me.”

One of Taylor’s clarion calls is to focus on developing and supporting principals and “expanding [her] sphere of influence,” she said. She had attended former Superintendent Chris Hon’s original leadership academy, which included several future administrators, and now, with the new cycle of change, she looks forward to the ideas and energy the emerging leadership team is bringing to the district.

“It’s imperative that our building administrators know that they have leadership and support who’ve walked in their shoes, who knows what it takes to help champion them so they can champion teachers, and it kind of trickles down,” Taylor concluded. “I want to see our district success continue, so as long as I’m able to continue, I just want a seat at the table.”

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Cutline: After helping to produce numerous leaders in her building, Jennifer Taylor was promoted to the superintendent cabinet.