By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Things must change to entice people to go into education and to meet the needs of a changing student population.
So says former St. Joseph School Superintendent Gabe Edgar in part two of our two-part series with the superintendent who has retired and wrapped up his three-year tenure as superintendent.
Edgar says staffing remains the biggest challenge facing the St. Joseph School District and all school districts, especially in light of the trend of fewer college students choosing education as a career.
“There’s going to have to be some sort of a marketing strategy statewide, nationwide to get folks to even entertain the option,” Edgar tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Also, school districts face challenges they simply didn’t in the past.
“We have to be very, very reactive in the way we approach language barriers,” Edgars says. “So, there are a lot of challenges that come with that. Now, I will tell you that we have come a long way.”
The St. Joseph School District copes with more than 39 languages and all the cultural aspects that come from students moving here from a variety of countries. Edgar says that creates challenges for the classroom teacher.
Edgar says schools must also change their approach toward their students. Once, school districts concentrated on preparing students for college. College, though, is not for everyone. Edgar has championed an approach used for students with developmental disabilities or students who don’t speak English well or at all. He believes all students should be guided by an individualized education plan.
Such a plan could guide a student toward a college major or it could guide them toward technical training such as that provided by Hillyard Technical Center or the new Houlne Center for Convergent Technology operated jointed by Missouri Western State University and North Central Missouri College on the Missouri Western campus in St. Joseph.
Edgar says some students once considered on the margins might just get engaged if directed toward the high-skill occupations offer by modern manufacturing or construction.
“Nobody likes change,” Edgar says. “But, at the end of the day, if you want to engage students, whether we like it or not, education’s way different in 2025 than it was in 1985.”
The jobs of the future might require more technical expertise than intellectual attainment.
“I can promise you that a lot of those jobs that are out there that these folks are taking are high-paying jobs and probably, I would venture to say, even higher paying jobs than some of the people coming out of college.”
As Edgar bids farewell to the St. Joseph School District and returns to his hometown of Marceline, he says attempts to improve education in St. Joseph aren’t just about the St. Joseph School District.
“It’s about the community of St. Joseph. And I’ve said this several times, if the St. Joseph School District, public school district, is not the center of the St. Joseph community, then nothing’s going to be successful,” according to Edgar. “It takes everybody. It takes the county. It takes the city. It takes the school district. It takes everybody to be successful.”
Edgar says school officials and members of the Board of Education must understand the direction the public wants the school district to take to be successful.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ