The Poplar Bluff School District announced Dr. Aaron Cornman will take the reins as R-I’s 20th superintendent, beginning in July 2023.
“He has a solid reputation as an educator and a school administrator, and I think the district is in good hands,” said current Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill, who mentioned he has known Cornman as a peer for “many years.”
Cornman, a native of Gideon, previously lived in Poplar Bluff while attending Three Rivers College.
“I love the area,” he said, “and I just felt like knowing its rich tradition and history of student success, it’s always been a district I have wanted to be a part of, and when the position came open, I wanted to throw my name in for consideration.”
He looks forward to reviving the relationships he built while attending college and building new ones with staff and community members.
“True servant leadership is just sitting down and listening to others, and trying to determine where they are, what their thoughts and beliefs are for the district, and where they would like to see it go,” Cornman said. “So my passion has always been just making decisions in the best interest of kids, and I hope to bring that to the Poplar Bluff district.”
The district enlisted the Missouri School Board Association to conduct the superintendent search this spring after Dill announced his intent to step back from the administration. MSBA surveyed 631 community members, staff and students in September and found common qualities they hoped for in the new superintendent: visibility in the community; relationship building and credibility; an understanding of the community and district; and a smooth transition.
Dill stated the transition will begin shortly.
“One of the reasons that I announced as early as I did was to afford the district the opportunity to find a replacement, and then begin the transition plan. And so Dr. Cornman and I have spoken at length already this weekend. We have a series of events throughout the second semester, he will be in attendance, and then we will begin the work of transitioning the district to him so that he can hit the ground running in July when his contract starts,” he explained.
According to a press release by the R-I District, Cornman began teaching in the late 1990s in Risco, then Malden and Advance before beginning his superintendent career in 2007. During a sabbatical, he assisted teachers working with special needs students of the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis County. He also pastored at Harviell Baptist church in the early 2000s.
He earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Saint Louis University in 2005. Before that, he attended TRC and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau while earning his bachelor’s in elementary education and master’s degree in elementary/secondary administration.