Perry Township schools choose Clark-Pleasant leader for superintendent
Perry Township’s school board unanimously elected Patrick Spray, current head of Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp., to be the district’s new superintendent during a special board meeting on Monday.
Spray will leave his current position at the end of this school year and join Perry Township schools July 1.
“As I have told many of my kindergarten friends when I read to them, the superintendent's job is to be the ‘helper’ so that the most important people, our teachers, can do their jobs to teach students and help them grow as learners,” Spray said in a news release. “I am excited to get to know the Perry team and serve this community of learners.”
Spray has been superintendent at Clark-Pleasant schools in Johnson County for 15 years and prior to that served as assistant superintendent for four years. He earned a masters in elementary and middle school administration-principalship from Butler University and holds a Ph.D. in school administration and supervision from Indiana State University.
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Spray’s educational background and professional experience led the Perry Township school board to pick him as their next superintendent, board members said in a news release.
“His extensive work experience as a superintendent and decisive leadership skills made him a standout candidate and ultimately led to my vote of support,” said board president Emily Hartman. “I am confident that the board is making the right choice and the district will continue to excel with Dr. Spray as superintendent.”
Current Perry Township Superintendent Pat Mapes, who started the job in 2016, announced he was stepping down from the position in December. Mapes’s announcement came right after the school board approved a controversial change to the district’s elementary school enrollment boundaries.
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“I am proud of what my team and I have been able to accomplish. Perry Township Schools is in great fiscal shape because of our intentional efforts,” Mapes said. “I’m confident that Dr. Spray will continue the important work of creating and maintaining a successful infrastructure to grow kids academically, socially and behaviorally.”
The board’s decision Monday came after a two-month long search that involved dozens of candidates, the district said.
As superintendent Spray will oversee daily operations of Marion County's third most populous school district with a little over 16,000 students, according to state enrollment data for the 2022-2023 school year.
Spray will have an annual base salary of $220,538 through June 30, 2024, according to the superintendent’s contract unanimously approved by the board on Monday.
Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Perry Township schools tap Patrick Spray for superintendent position
