Don Shrubshell photo

Sarah Read leads a team-building exercise with Columbia Board of Education members yesterday at the district’s Administration Building. Read is president of Communication Center Inc.

A familiar face will be at Columbia Public Schools’ administration office tonight when the Board of Education meets in closed session to select an interim superintendent.

Jim Ritter, former superintendent, told the Tribune this morning he is on a short list of candidates for the temporary position. He plans to attend tonight’s board meeting, although he stressed that nothing has been decided.

‘The interim doesn’t have to just try to get by the year. They can be proactive and involved.’ — Jim Ritter, former chief of Columbia Public Schools

"I can tell you I’ve had no formal offer by the board, nor have I accepted any formal offer by the board," Ritter said this morning. "I have talked to individual board members, yes."

The school board is meeting behind closed doors at 6 p.m. to select a replacement for Superintendent Phyllis Chase, who announced last week that she is retiring this month.

Board President Michelle Gadbois remained tight-lipped this morning about the potential interim superintendent. Although she wouldn’t say whether the person is a current district employee, Gadbois dropped a hint when asked whether the person will be coming from inside or outside the district.

"It depends on how you define ‘inside or outside the district,’ " Gadbois said.

Ritter fits either definition: He is not employed by Columbia Public Schools, but he worked for the district for more than 30 years, part of that time as an assistant principal at Hickman High School and as an associate superintendent. Ritter first retired from the district in 1991, then returned seven years later to serve as superintendent. He spent five years at the helm of the district before he retired again and the board hired Chase.

Ritter has been busy since his most recent retirement from the district. He led the group that raised money to open the YouZeum, and he served on the boards of Reality House and the Columbia Public Schools Foundation. In 2006, he ran an aggressive but unsuccessful campaign against Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia, for the Missouri General Assembly. Last year, Ritter led a task force that selected a northern site for a new Columbia high school, a recommendation that ultimately overturned a previous school board decision.

His wife, Kathy Ritter, has also been on the move since her husband’s retirement. Last year, Chase appointed her principal at Rock Bridge High School, where she spent nearly 15 years as an assistant principal.

Some have questioned whether appointing Jim Ritter to the superintendent’s post would create a conflict of interest. This morning, he said he wants to lay those fears to rest.

"Kathy was assistant principal out there all the time I was an assistant superintendent, and I don’t think anyone would say I showed any favoritism toward Rock Bridge during those years," he said. "When she was appointed principal, I was out of the district."

If he becomes interim superintendent, "there will be no conflict of interest," Ritter said. "Those worried that Rock Bridge would be favored over Hickman should recall that I spent over a third of my career at Hickman. I have deep ties to Hickman. That is a concern we can lay to rest. It simply would not be a conflict. I would not allow it to be, nor would Kathy."

The school board isn’t expected to announce the interim superintendent tonight, but Gadbois said she is optimistic the selection will become public tomorrow.

It will be up to the school board to lay out the interim superintendent’s responsibilities for the coming year, but Ritter said he wouldn’t expect a temporary leader to make massive changes in district programs or personnel.

"At the same time, the interim doesn’t have to just try to get by the year," he said. "They can be proactive and involved in a number of things. Certainly I think at this point in time we want to work hard - the interim superintendent and the board - to restore some public confidence in the school board, administration and the district in general. Also, teachers are upset and concerned, so winning back their confidence would be important. Whether an interim can do that, I don’t know."

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