Jerry Noble has been superintendent of the Kennett School District since 2005. Prior to that, he served as superintendent of the Campbell R-2 district. Before that, he was high school principal at New Madrid County R-1. He began his teaching career as a coach in the Paragould School District from 1983-1993 and later was assistant principal at Paragould.
He holds a specialist degree in secondary administration from Southeast Missouri State University and a master's in secondary administration from Arkansas State University.
Noble said he wants to be superintendent at Blytheville for several reasons, including the advancement in his career, and the challenges he knows he would face at Blytheville.
"Having lived in this area all of my life, I am well aware of the history of the Blytheville community," Noble said. "Historically, Blytheville has been a very proud community."
He cited some difficulties the Blytheville community has faced over the years, including the closure of Eaker Air Force Base. "It is evident in the way the community has dealt with this loss that the community leaders and citizens are doing their best to recruit and retain industry in Blytheville to offset this loss," Noble said.
One of the greatest challenges as superintendent at Blytheville, Noble said, will be to deal with the declining economy of the entire Delta region.
"For many years now, the communities in the Mississippi Delta have been in economic decline. This makes the quality of the education students receive even more critical," he said.
The school's role in the economy is to provide a qualified work force for the community. He cited a statistic that shows that the quality of local schools is one of the first things looked at by industry officials in determining where to locate their facilities.
Noble also cited a shift in the way education must be offered to students, because of the changes in society.
"Many schools are still operating like we did when we had many family farms and small factories throughout the area," Noble said.
"Talent development plays a key role in driving economic competitiveness, increasing job growth and opening up new opportunities for American workers," he said. "We want our students to have all the advantages a strong educational program can provide."
Times have changed and today's job market requires more complex skills, he said. "Students can no longer graduate from high school and go to work in a factory or an assembly line that requires very little training," he said.
Old methods of requiring all students to take the same battery of courses are obsolete, Noble said.
The candidate said he was looking forward to working with local elected officials as well, to help make sure that students receive the education needed to become productive citizens of this community.
He suggests each student having a specific career plan, and the courses needed to accomplish those goals. Surveys reveal that between 70 and 80 percent of high school students believe they have a good future ahead of them in regard to a career, yet only 30 percent actually have a plan. "The schools should take responsibility for this and, as superintendent, I will work to get it accomplished.
Noble agreed that any changes will take a great amount of work. "We will always have problems with student apathy, work ethic and societal problems that hinder us in the development of a talented workforce. In many cases, students just need to know that someone cares about them."
A caring attitude can greatly contribute to a student's success, Noble said.
"As educators, if we work to develop a caring and nurturing relationship with our students, from early childhood forward, great strides can be made in reducing student apathy and high dropout rates," he said. "I also believe we can do a better job of directing students toward a career path. Once this is accomplished, high school students in particular will see school as more relevant and put forth more effort."
Noble has very specific goals for the Blytheville School District. He said he wants for "it to be the school where parents want to send their children instead of looking to send them out to the smaller, rural schools."
Noble said he feels he has a very strong academic background and knows what it takes to provide a school climate conducive to learning. He said he also has very strong experience in school finance, working with districts with diverse student populations and "the motivation and work ethic to work toward accomplishing my goals and the mission of the district."