The Springfield School District says Superintendent Dr. John Jungmann is retiring at the end of the school year.

Jungmann has spent seven years as the Springfield superintendent and 23 years in education.

Here’s more from the district:

Dr. John Jungmann, superintendent of Springfield Public Schools (SPS), has announced his intention to retire from public education at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year after serving Missouri school districts for 23 years.

In addition to seven years as the leader of Missouri’s largest school district, Dr. Jungmann’s professional background includes service as a high school English teacher in Lamar; as assistant high school principal, middle school principal and superintendent in Monett; and as deputy superintendent and superintendent in Liberty.

“As Dr. Jungmann prepares to depart SPS next summer, he maintains strong support from our Board for his consistent, visionary and strategic leadership,” said Dr. Alina Lehnert, president of the SPS Board of Education. “Dr. Jungmann’s unwavering commitment to our 25,000 kids and 3,500 staff leaves a significant, meaningful legacy for our community. We congratulate him for his many years of public education service to the state of Missouri and for a well-deserved retirement.”

“It has been my honor to serve as SPS superintendent and I will cherish the seven years of work we have partnered to deliver,” said Dr. Jungmann. “Together, we have much we can be proud of, but nothing is more meaningful than our efforts to raise our graduation rate to the highest level in district history and to set a new bar for all future graduating classes. This effort will directly impact the lives of our students and strengthen our community for years to come.”

In addition to realizing the highest graduation rate in the history of SPS, the district has achieved the following key successes during Dr. Jungmann’s tenure as superintendent:

• Development of a new strategic plan and system-wide focus on equity and diversity.
• Completion of the district’s Facility Master Plan and passage of Proposition S, the largest bond in SPS history, providing $168 million for critical facility improvements.
• Deployment of 1-to-1 devices to every student for equal access to technology.
• Design and deployment of Launch, a virtual education program for more than 300 partner districts statewide.
• Expansion of early childhood programming for an additional 500 students.
• Improved teacher salaries, distinguishing SPS with the best schedule in the region.
• Expansion of summer learning experiences through Explore.
• Creation of new business and education partnerships in support of profession-based programming through the Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Professional Studies (GO CAPS).
• Expanded regional collaboration through the Greater Ozarks Cooperating School Districts (GOCSD).

Other professional highlights of Dr. Jungmann’s career include the following:

• Appointment by Governor Michael L. Parson: Commissioner, Education Commission of the States, 2019
• The Robert L. Pearce Award, Missouri Association of School Administrators, 2019
• Missouri Superintendent of the Year, 2017
• Missouri School Public Relations Association Administrator of the Year, 2016
• Missouri Association of School Administrators, President, 2014-2015
• Southwest Missouri New Superintendent of the Year, 2010

“As we move forward, I wish SPS the very best and will work hand-in-hand with our Board of Education to ensure a smooth leadership transition,” continued Dr. Jungmann. “I look forward to finishing out my final year with the same passion and commitment that I have brought with me during each of the last six years. Our students need and deserve nothing less from each of us.”

The Board of Education has accepted Dr. Jungmann’s letter of retirement and a nationwide search for his replacement will begin immediately.

For more information, visit www.sps.org.