LCR3 Board of Education Announces Incoming Superintendent
LCR3 Families,
Please see the below announcement regarding the Board of Education's selection for the incoming Superintendent of Schools.This month, the Lincoln County R-III School District Board of Education concluded its superintendent search. They are pleased to announce that Dr. Matthew Frederickson has accepted their offer to join the LCR3 team. Following the unanimous approval of his contract on Thursday morning, Board President Ron Mills stated, “We are excited to have Dr. Frederickson join us as the next Superintendent of the Lincoln County R-III School District. He brings a unique perspective from his extensive experience serving in both rural and metropolitan school districts. His proven track record of improving academic outcomes and managing growing school districts will be an asset as he helps guide our district in our continued pursuit of excellence.” While Dr. Frederickson looks forward to getting to know the community over the next six months, he will officially step into this role on July 1, 2024, following the retirement of Dr. Mark Penny.
The Superintendent of Schools is called upon to oversee all aspects of the district, including personnel, finance, school facilities, curriculum, and public relations. They serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Board of Education, to whom they provide educational leadership. When asked about the selection process, Mr. Mills noted, “In hearing from the District’s stakeholder groups, we knew we were looking for a dynamic individual that will be able to continue the tradition of excellence that our community is accustomed to. The process brought forth some incredibly talented individuals, and we are confident in Dr. Frederickson’s ability to lead our schools.”
Dr. Frederickson is currently wrapping up his seventh year as the Superintendent for Bowling Green R-I. Prior to that, he served as the Head of School for the Grand Center Arts Academy in St. Louis and as the Director of Curriculum for Rockwood School District, where he also served as the Fine Arts Coordinator and a classroom educator. He began his teaching career as a band director for Gasconade County and Union R-XI School Districts. In addition to Dr. Frederickson's 30 years of service in education, he has served 16 years in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard. He continued to serve our country for another nine years as a member of the Army National Guard, retiring in 2017.
Throughout his tenure in education, Dr. Frederickson has set and attained many goals. The following are those accomplishments of which he is most proud. Collaborating with parents, students, teachers, and administrators to create a uniform curriculum development plan in the Rockwood School District, where in his final two years serving as Director of Curriculum, the district APR went from 92.9% to 98.2%. All four high schools were ranked in the top ten in the state by the Washington Post and the top fifteen for US News and World Report for the first time. Additionally, while at Rockwood, Dr. Frederickson worked to create the first district web-based database structure to house all curriculum documents online for easy parent and community access. At Grand Center Arts Academy, he shepherded the very first two senior classes through the first graduations in the school’s history after helping to develop all new courses, including 20 dual enrollment and advanced placement courses at the high school level. Most recently, at Bowling Green R-1, he collaborated with stakeholders to pass the only two successful general obligation bond elections in over half a century that allowed the district to increase school safety, fix deficient facilities, lower the average age of the bus fleet, improve ADA compliance, add three storm safe rooms, expand the secondary library, and build a new Early Childhood Center that will be set to open next school year. Under Dr. Frederickson's leadership, the district also became one of the first Purple Star districts awarded by DESE for their focus and support to military families and veterans and also met goals to lower teacher and administrator attrition levels to below state and national averages while improving student achievement. In 2021, Dr. Frederickson was honored at Missouri State University as the Alumni of the Year, voted by the faculty of the music department, and was recently selected as a finalist for the District Administration’s (DALI) National Leader of Distinction Award.
Dr. Frederickson received his Bachelor of Science in Education from Missouri State University in 1994. He went on to earn his Master of Science in Education Administration in 2001 from Southwest Baptist University and his Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction and Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction in 2003 and 2007, respectively, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Additionally, Dr. Frederickson earned a Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2021. He holds a Missouri license as a Superintendent, 7-12 Secondary Principal, K-12 Instrumental and Vocal Music, and a National Board Certification for Music/Early Adolescence-Young Adulthood.
When presented with the opportunity to be the next leader of LCR3, Dr. Frederickson shared with the members of the Board of Education, “I am grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me by the Board, and am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. Together with our families, hard-working educators, and support staff, we will continue the great tradition of continuous improvement for LCR3 students."
Over the next several months, Dr. Penny and his team will work closely with Dr. Frederickson to acquaint him with our community. Details regarding opportunities to meet Dr. Frederickson will be forthcoming and shared on all District communication platforms. Please help us congratulate and welcome Dr. Frederickson and his family to the LCR3 team!
