By Kate Martin
PERRYVILLE – There are new faces in the Central Office this year as Dr. Fara Jones, Mr. Craig Hayden, and Mrs. Jane Narrow settle into new roles at District 32. They, along with Mrs. Stacey Seabaugh, lead the administrative team that serves over 2,220 students and 350 employees at the five schools that make up District 32.
The Central Office administrators are (from left) Director of Special Services Stacey Seabaugh, Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones, Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden, and Chief Academic Officer Jane Narrow.
Dr. Fara Jones assumed the duties of superintendent on July 1, after serving as the district’s deputy superintendent last year. Before coming to District 32, Dr. Jones served as assistant superintendent of personnel at Poplar Bluff School District from 2019-2022. Prior to that, Dr. Jones spent her career at Scott County R-VI, or Kelly Schools, where she first taught secondary art for 4 years, later served as elementary principal for 13 years, and led the district as superintendent from 2013-2019. She holds a master’s and specialist degrees from William Woods University, where she also earned a doctorate in educational leadership. Dr. Jones has served for 10 years as secretary and treasurer of the Southeast region for the Missouri School Administrators Association (MASA).
Dr. Jones believes that the leadership team’s trust in and mutual respect for one another will help the district effect positive change. “I believe that we’re going to make a difference,” she said. “I am joined by professionals who are experts in their respective fields, proven leaders who have served and loved this district for many years. We have a shared vision, and we believe our collective efficacy— our conjoined capability to execute action required to produce the attainment of goals will be associated with higher student achievement. We have hard work before us, but we all believe in our team’s ability to address challenges in a way that produces positive outcomes.”
Mr. Craig Hayden assumed the duties of assistant superintendent on July 1. He served as the director of Perryville Area Career & Technology Center for 9 years before moving to Central Office. Mr. Hayden is a PHS graduate. He earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University, where he also earned a business education certification. He earned a master’s degree in educational administration in 2009, and then a specialist in educational administration from Southeast in 2013. He first worked as a deputy juvenile officer for the 32nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, and then served as the administrator of the regional juvenile detainment/holding center in Cape Girardeau. He entered the world of education in 1999 as a business education teacher and coach at St. Vincent High School and then Perryville High School. He served one year as assistant principal at PHS before joining Cape Girardeau Public Schools as an assistant principal in August 2010. Mr. Hayden returned to District 32 in July 2014 to lead Perryville Area Career and Technology Center. He said that he will continue to promote the value of parents and teacher working together to benefit students. “The home-school relationship is crucial because it promotes a collaborative approach to a child’s development, combining the efforts of both parents and educators to create a nurturing and supportive environment for learning and growth,” he said. “When parents and teachers work together, children are more likely to succeed academically and develop the skills they need to be successful in life.”
Mrs. Jane Narrow is the first Chief Academic Officer for District 32, a position created to address the academic and instructional challenges facing public education today. Before moving to the Central Office, she was the elementary school principal, where she served from 2019-2023. She also served as assistant principal at both the middle school from 2015-2016 and the elementary school from 2016-2019. A 1987 PHS graduate, Mrs. Narrow first joined the district in 1994, teaching English-Language Arts at the middle school for 21 years. Mrs. Narrow earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education specializing in English from Southeast Missouri State University in 1994, a Master of Arts in teaching from Webster University in 1997, and an Educational Specialist in Administration from William Woods University in 2013. Mrs. Narrow stated, “District 32 has a tradition of dedication to exceptional instruction. My goal is to work with our educators to continually promote the highest standard in providing outstanding learning opportunities for our students.”
Mrs. Stacey Seabaugh has served as the district’s director of special services since 2018. Prior to that, she served as the district process coordinator for six years, and 4 years as an early childhood special education teacher. She’s been in education for 27 years. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in early childhood education from Central Methodist University, a bachelor of arts degree in communication disorders from Southeast Missouri State University, and a master’s of educational leadership from Arkansas State University, and is currently working on her specialist degree in superintendency from Northwest Missouri State University. “At District 32, we are family first and community-driven,” Mrs. Seabaugh said. “We want to ensure that every student feels not just welcome, but truly valued and passionately involved in their educational journey.”
The administrative team includes (front, from left) Communications Director Kate Martin, Food Services Director Debbie Baer, Special Services Director Stacey Seabaugh, Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones, Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden, Chief Academic Officer Jane Narrow, and Transportation Director Sarah Orf. Row 2 – PHS Assistant Principal Lisa Martin, Assistant Transportation Director Melanie Hager, PPC Assistant Principal Lacey Amschler, PPC Principal Emily Koenig, PES Assistant Principal Leslie Ackermann, and PCMS Assistant Principal Stacey Versemann. Back – PACTC Director Dan Hecht, Assistant Technology Director Jon Tucker, PES Principal Jeff Steffens, Technology Director Dan Querry, PHS Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Justin Dreyer, PHS Principal Shadrick Shafer, PCMS Principal Nicholas Cowell, and Maintenance Director Dan Oberkirsch.