Document text
Daggett to leave Ashland schools Superintendent wants to avoid `burn-out' By VICKI GUARINO ASHLAND -- Wanting to end his career on a high note, schools Superintendent John Daggett told teachers Thursday that he'll retire at the end of the school year. Daggett, 57, says he intends to remain active in education and the Ashland community, perhaps becoming a schools consultant. He said he wants to retire while he is still enthusiastic and optimistic about public schools and education in Ashland. Daggett informed board members Wednesday in private conversations. "I was watching the burn-out of some of my colleagues, and I didn't want that to happen," Daggett said Thursday. "I'm leaving feeling good. "It's time for a change in my life." School board Chairman Kent Provost praised Daggett's leadership. "He's brought us through a lot of challenges, and I fully understand his decision," Provost said. "It's a well-deserved retirement." Provost said the district will most miss Daggett's care and interest. "John really has a passion for the district and the kids," Provost said. Board member Alan DeBoer said the district's accomplishments and the successes of its students reflect Daggett's efforts and leadership. DeBoer said Daggett has fostered a stability in management that allows staff and, ultimately, students, to excel. Board members in November will set out a process for naming a successor to head the 3,400-student district. Daggett's timing of his retirement closes something of a chapter for himself and Ashland students. Students in Ashland's class of 2000 were kindergartners when Daggett arrived to head the district. "The senior class is a special class for me," Daggett said. At the time, district management was struggling. Just a year before, teachers had authorized a strike over contract disputes. A walkout was so narrowly averted that classes had to be delayed while teachers moved back into their classrooms. Daggett said he is particularly proud of collaborative bargaining and management systems that he worked to establish. He said students also have gained from recent initiatives that have widened community participation in schools. Money raised by the schools foundation have paid for programs from athletics to technology that the district otherwise couldn't afford. The community has provided additional funds for new buildings and special activities. Both Southern Oregon University and the Ashland hospital have contributed curriculum support. "Those kinds of things have made the school district thrive in times of real troubling finances," Daggett said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA