Familiar faces take on new administrative roles in Fort Zumwalt School District

The Fort Zumwalt School District Board of Education has named Dr. Paul Myers as Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1. The announcement was first shared with the community in the fall of 2021 when longtime superintendent Dr. Bernard DuBray announced his retirement, which will be effective June 30.

The current school year has been a transition period, during which Myers has served as Superintendent-Elect.

Dr. Henry St. Pierre has been named Deputy Superintendent of the Fort Zumwalt School District, effective July 1. The announcement was also shared with the community in the fall of 2021 when DuBray announced his retirement. St. Pierre replaces Myers as Deputy Superintendent.

Myers, who joined the district in 1999, is now in his 24th year with Fort Zumwalt. He first served at South Middle School as a School Psychologist and Educational Diagnostician before becoming an Assistant Principal at West Middle School.

In 2005, he was named Principal at South Middle School, a position he held until moving into district level administration, where he has served in multiple roles and overseen Special Education, Health and Early Childhood Services, Student Personnel Services and Administrative Services, which includes Transportation, Student Nutrition and Custodial Services.

His background in mental health services has informed much of his work with the district, including the launch of what has grown to be the Mike Clemens Center for Adaptive Learning.

The leadership transition has come at a unique time for Fort Zumwalt, as the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has assigned the district the task of researching, writing and implementing a new Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP), due to DESE this summer.

The CSIP maps the district’s goals for the next three to five years.

“In some places CSIP and strategic plan are used somewhat interchangeably,” Myers says. “But that’s not the case here. The CSIP is at the center, but as we move forward, there are other components to a strategic plan that we will have to work on, like facilities planning, for example.”

Expect the CSIP to be presented to the board of education this summer. Once approved by the board, it will be submitted to the state and, next year, will be a component in how the school district is scored for its Annual Performance Report.

Tradition. Stability. Excellence. Opportunities for advancement.”

After four years teaching at North, St. Pierre went on to serve as an Assistant Principal at West High. He is the founding Principal at Fort Zumwalt East High School, where he helped oversee construction of the building, which opened in 2007.

In 2014 he moved to District Administrative Office as the Assistant Superintendent for Special Services, overseeing Special Education, Health and Early Childhood Services. For the past four years he has served as the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Services.

“I have had many different roles,” he says, “But it’s how they are the same that is important to me. They have all centered on supporting people, whether they are students, teachers or our community members. From teacher to assistant superintendent, my job has been to help everybody else be successful.”

“The most important, and rewarding, part of the CSIP process has been the opportunity to hear from our community. The process brings in input from faculty and staff, students and families, and our other community stakeholders,” Myers says. “We certainly recognize the value in listening to feedback to understand priorities and also areas where we can continue to improve.”

St. Pierre has been a part of the Fort Zumwalt team for 27 years. He joined the district as an English Language Arts teacher at North High School in 1996.

“I’m from a small town in Northeast, Missouri, but I remember I sat in Memorial Union (on the University of Missouri campus) and talked with a representative from Fort Zumwalt,” St. Pierre says. “I was an eager college graduate and was selected to meet with (FZN Principal) Dave Hoekel for an open English position.”

Since that interview at North High School, St. Pierre has been a fixture in the district.

“The things that keep me here are the same things that keep a lot of people here, I think.

As his role transitions again, St. Pierre will have new responsibilities as deputy superintendent, but will also remain an integral part of recruiting and retaining those who work in all of the other roles in Fort Zumwalt School District. He has served this past year as a member of the district’s CSIP steering committee.

“I am hoping as we complete this process and implement our plan that we are able to celebrate the history we have and the work that has been done by so many to get us where we are,” St. Pierre says. “But, as we have been working on the CSIP, we can see there are always areas where we can continue to improve, always areas for growth. I am looking forward to embracing the talents of the people I work with now so we can continue to move forward and create a destination district for our students, their families and for our employees.”

Families and community members will also have plenty of opportunities to meet the new administrators of Fort Zumwalt School District. Watch the calendar at fz.k12.mo.us as the new school year begins in August.

By Brett Auten