Decatur board offers superintendent job to Watkins
DECATUR — The Decatur School Board was expected to choose one of two Northwest Arkansas school principals to be its next superintendent.
The board on Thursday interviewed Duane Thomas and Steve Watkins for the district’s top job. Thomas just finished his seventh year as Gravette Middle School’s principal. Watkins just completed his second year as principal at Elkins High School.
The board met on Monday to make its choice, according to Jeff Gravette, Decatur’s outgoing superintendent. The job is being offered to Steve Watkins but word had not yet been received by press time Tuesday on Watkins’ decision on the job offer.
Gravette recently accepted the assistant superintendent’s position in the Gravette School District. He will replace Sharla Heltzel, who is retiring.
Gravette, 41, was a middle school teacher in Gravette for eight years before leaving to become principal of Decatur’s Northside Elementary School in 2012. He was promoted to superintendent in 2014.
The Gravette School Board last month interviewed Gravette and three others for the assistant superintendent’s job, then voted at a subsequent meeting to hire Gravette. He begins his new job July 1.
“It has definitely been a career goal of mine to get back” to the Gravette district, Gravette said.
Richard Page, the Gravette district’s superintendent, said he’s known Gravette for six years. Page is confident he will be a good fit for the job.
“He’s well respected in our community. He’s wellliked. We know he has a strong work ethic,” Page said. “He’s going to do a great job.”
The city of Gravette was named after Jeff Gravette’s great-great-grandfather, he said. Gravette and his wife live in Bella Vista. They have one child who will be starting kindergarten this fall.
Gravette and Decatur are neighboring school districts. Gravette’s enrollment as of last fall was about 1,900. Decatur’s enrollment was 560.
Gravette said he will assist with facility projects to be paid for with a 2.5mill tax increase voters approved last month. The largest of those projects is a new gymnasium at Gravette High School, estimated to cost $10.5 million.