ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Mehlville School District Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines will retire after eight years in the position, the district announced on Friday.
Gaines has accepted the position of chief executive officer of EducationPlus, a regional nonprofit service agency that serves 59 school districts throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.
“I have approached my time in Mehlville with a continuous improvement mindset,” Gaines said in a release announcing his departure from the district. “My desire is, and has been, to leave the district in better condition than it was when I arrived.”
Gaines will retire from the district on Aug. 31, and begins his new role with EducationPlus on Sept. 1. He said he was eager to foster a smooth transition in his final months with the district.
“I’m not planning on slowing down throughout my remaining time. We have a lot of exciting projects and opportunities, including a ballot issue to support competitive teacher and support staff salaries, and continued construction progress from Prop S. Mehlville School District has a bright future, and there is much still to achieve," he said.
Gaines has more than 20 years of experience in Missouri public schools, and previously served as superintendent for the Wright City R-2 and Crawford County R-2 school districts.
He replaces Dr. Paul Zeigler, who has served as CEO of EducationPlus since 2017.
“I’m looking forward to joining the team at EducationPlus and the possibilities ahead as we start our second century of supporting schools and ensuring student success throughout the region,” Gaines said. “I also want to thank Paul for his stable leadership during the past six years and setting EducationPlus up for success in the future.”
“Dr. Gaines has a wide variety of leadership experiences in his background which will be an asset to EducationPlus,” said EducationPlus Board of Directors President Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith. “He has experience in rural and suburban schools and has held leadership positions at the national level. This wide variety of experiences will help EducationPlus support all school districts in the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond.”
The Mehlville School District said its board of education is finalizing its plan to hire the next superintendent, with more information to be announced at a later date.
