Though students may remember him for the groundbreaking amount of days off of school due to the cold, Corey Lunn has been a noteworthy superintendent for Stillwater public schools for more than just this winter.

Entering into his third year as Stillwater’s superintendent, Lunn described how it seemed like an impossible job. With the levy, yet to be passed in September, the job seemed daunting, but Lunn was confident that he would be prepared for the students and staff of the schools he oversaw.

 “I have been a science teacher, coach,  middle school activities director, assistant principal, middle school principal and high school principal. I believe that all of these experiences I have provided a good basis for my job as superintendent. I try to get into the schools and classrooms as much as I can to remind myself what is important and how I can best support teaching and learning in my role as a school leader,” Lunn said.

Coming from so many different previous positions, Lunn said he is comfortable in his current position and is currently in the works of talking with the board to renew his contract,

“School superintendents are one of the few school employees without a guaranteed contract. By law the range of a superintendent’s contract can be anywhere from one to three years. So every every three years, depending on the length of the contract, this needs to be renegotiated and approved,” explained Lunn.

Lunn hopes to stay on board as the district superintendent, he has been a superintendent for seven years, three with the Stillwater district.

“Currently the school board and I are in discussions regarding a contract extension. With the focus and energy needed to pass the levy, these discussions are occurring later than is usual. As the board and superintendent are able to agree on the terms and conditions an extension may be signed and acted upon on by the board. If not, then there may be a separation of employment,” Lunn said.

In regards to the levy that passed this Fall, Lunn said. “When the levy passed last November, I felt both relieved and happy for our schools, students and staff; however I also felt a tremendous sense of accountability to the public. Even after the tremendous work of the many people to pass the levy, the work is just beginning. We are now focused on following through on what we said we were going to do, and continuing to build the trust we started with the passage of the levy.” He added, “As far as passing the levy, this was not a solo effort. There were many parents, community members and school staff that all played a role in this process and outcome. As the new superintendent three years ago it was not easy to have to try to pass a levy in my first year and then make the over $8 million in reductions that was needed after it failed. After that a large chunk of my time was to gear up again for the levy request this past November.”

Lunn continued to describe his feelings towards the community and how community members would be impacted by the levy, “I would of rather wanted a year or two to get to know the district, it’s culture and residents before having to come to the community for a levy request. However this is what was needed for our students, we worked through it and eventually came to a successful outcome. I wish this was not part of my job – asking the community to support a tax increase to support our schools – but with the current finding In our state it has become a necessity if we want our students to have the same opportunities as those in other communities.”

Members of the school board failed to return a statement on the subject, but with all of his accomplishments, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lunn return again next school year. His smiling face and love for the school will be remembered, as well as his major contributions produced by the levy and fantastic dedication to the students of the district.