Matthew Constant was selected to be the 20th superintendent of Owensboro Public Schools at their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday night, pending contract negotiations.
Constant will maintain the interim title through June 30, 2020, per his current contract. While a new contract still has to be agreed upon, Constant will officially take over on July 1.
“He is the selection of the board to be the new permanent superintendent,” said Bill Johnson, board attorney. “He’s technically not employed as the superintendent until we get that (new) contract agreed to, signed, and then the board votes to approve his hiring in accordance with the terms of that contract.”
Constant has served as the interim superintendent since Nick Brake resigned at the end of December 2019.
“I’m just humbled and so appreciative of the board’s support during this process,” Constant said. “I have been at OPS now for nine years and I can without a doubt say that I work with the best staff around. Because of their support and because of what we have been able to do together, this is not congratulating me but congratulating us as a team.”
Constant has led the district through an unmatched time as the country battles the coronavirus, and he said the response shown by the school system is a positive sign going forward.
“We have to focus on the humans we serve, and the humans we serve are our kids and our families. Especially during this time, we have more of a focus on that than I’ve ever seen because we scare so much about our community,” he said. “We’re going to take what has been bottled in this COVID-19 period and turn in into even better progress for us as we move forward. I can’t wait to start.”
Board Chairman Jeremy Edge said they already knew Constant was great for the school system and knew what kind of person he was. Edge said there is always the question of whether someone will have the right leadership skills when moving into the top role, but said Constant has done an unbelievable job.
“He went into unprecedented times for our system, for the state and for the country, and he showed leadership beyond what I think any of us could imagine,” Edge said. “There were some great, great candidates, but picking him was easy.”
Constant joined Owensboro Public Schools in 2011 and served as an assistant superintendent and chief academic officer before assuming the interim superintendent role. He was responsible for the coordination of all curriculum, instruction, assessment, special education, technology and English language learning.
He is currently in his 25th year in public education, previously serving as a technology education teacher at Apollo High School, a staff developer for both high schools in the Daviess County Public Schools district, and an assistant principal and principal of Daviess County High School. He also spent time as the district technology coordinator for DCPS prior to joining OPS.
