BOWLING GREEN – After voting to reinstate the assistant superintendent position this summer, the Bowling Green R-I Board of Education decided last week to hire Dr. Stephen Hunter to hold the part-time position.
Hunter formerly served for six years as the Van-Far superintendent until July 2018 when he announced his retirement. He has worked in the education field for 26 years.
In a letter to parents, R-I Superintendent Dr. Matthew Frederickson explained the assistant superintendent position had been eliminated more than a decade ago due to financial constraints. The school board decided to recover the position in a part-time capacity.
The duties associated with the post had been taken on by other staff members who were compensated with stipends. Those funds will now be used to cover the part-time salary.

Frederickson added there will also be no benefits offered with the position to help manage the new expense.
“This new position is budget-neutral,” Frederickson stated. “We put together a committee of students/parent/teacher/administrator/secretary to interview candidates and make recommendations to our Board of Education.”
He said his goal has been to work toward removing the administrative stipends, overtime and farming duties out to other groups to lead the district’s curriculum writing and professional development.
Frederickson further pointed out that while Hunter is a familiar face from his time at Van-Far, he has also worked with the Bowling Green district in the past. He previously served as an administrator, athletic director, A-Plus Schools Coordinator, teacher and coach. His career also includes service as the superintendent at the Troy School District
Hunter is slated to begin working for the district this week.
“Areas he will be working with me on are additional support in the areas of school safety, facilities, transportation, technology and other logistics/operations tasks and shadowing [Stephanie] Bailey this year and next year in her oversight of testing administration and federal programs reporting.”
Frederickson added that Hunter will have a small office within the central office building.
The board voted to hire Hunter in a closed session last week.
Photo: Dr. Stephen Hunter is recognized for his retirement by the Missouri Association of School Business Officials (MoASBO).