Siloam Springs School Board selects next superintendent

SILOAM SPRINGS — The School Board selected Assistant Superintendent Shane Patrick as the new superintendent of the Siloam Springs School District during its meeting Thursday.

Patrick, who served as assistant superintendent for the past five years, will begin his tenure as superintendent July 1, according to a news release from the district.

School Board members voted unanimously to name Patrick to the job. He will replace Superintendent Jody Wiggins.

Wiggins announced his resignation at the Feb. 8 School Board meeting. He will become director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative. His last day with the district will be June 30, and he’ll begin at the cooperative on July 1.

The School Board will decide Patrick’s salary at a later date. Patrick was one of six candidates chosen for interviews with three committees: a certified committee (licensed staff), a classified committee (support personnel) and a central office committee, School Board President Brian Lamb said.

The six candidates were reduced to two by the School Board and the three committees, Lamb said. The two were then narrowed down to one.

Patrick is in his 30th year as an educator, having served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, building administrator and district-level administrator, the news release states.

Patrick earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. He earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La., according to the release.

In 2020, Patrick attained his district-level administrator certification through Southern Arkansas University, the release says.

Patrick has worked in several Arkansas school districts, including Stuttgart, Mountain Home, Springdale and Siloam Springs. He began working for the Siloam Springs School District in 2019 as its director of operations, according to the release. One year later, Patrick was promoted to assistant superintendent.