GENTRY (KFSM) – Randy Barrett has served the Gentry School District for more than two decades. He is now passing the torch after announcing his retirement.
Barrett became the Gentry superintendent in 1992 and will be retiring at the end of the school year after 25 years. His career in education began 42 years ago.
He said the Gentry community is full of good honest people who support the schools and that is what has made his job truly great.
“They stay involved with us and it’s those relationships I think that have made over this time here that I will always cherish wherever I’m living,” Barrett said.
The district has grown and they have had several major construction projects Barrett said he has been happy to be a part of. The most recent project was Gentry High School becoming a conversion charter school that will expand vocational and career technical programs.
“We are in the process of constructing a new diesel lab for our students and it should be done I hope by July and on the drafting board we are replacing the intermediate school,” he said.
Barrett said this would not have been possible without voter’s support. He said in his 25 years the community has supported tax increases seven times to improve the school district.
“I think that is unsurpassed as a true indicator of support for your schools, that you are willing to tax yourself more to support something for the kids of the community,” he said.
Terrie Metz will take over as superintendent after Barrett retires on June 30th.
Metz is currently the district’s federal programs curriculum coordinator and has been with the Gentry School District for 12 years.
She started as a math teacher, then taught at the intermediate school and before her current job she was the assistant principal of the high school for five years.
She said she is excited to continue some of the academic programs they are doing to help all students learn.
“It’s an honor to be able to help the kids in the district move into the future. We have lots of great things we are doing in Gentry and I just am beside myself,” Metz said.
Metz said the building of the new intermediate school is a project she is excited to oversee and that the school won’t be complete for a couple of years.