By Carolyn Cole/Staff Writer
published Jan. 15, 2009

Bonnie Lightfoot started as Mustang School District superintendent Tuesday, after serving in an interim post for the past six months.
Mustang School Board members chose Lightfoot Monday night after reviewing a field of 14 candidates.

Lightfoot was one of three candidates who were chosen to interview. One of those three candidates removed their name from consideration before their interview, narrowing the field to two finalists.

School board members started their search for a new superintendent after Karl Springer left the district in July to become Oklahoma City School District’s chief.

When board members elevated Lightfoot from deputy superintendent to interim superintendent, her pay was raised to Springer’s final level at $112,114.10 base salary.

Board members gave Lightfoot $11,211 increase to her base salary Monday night, to about $123,325 under a three-year contract, which will be reviewed annually. In 2007, the deputy superintendent base salary was $88,900.

Board President Jeff Johnson said board members decided to increase the superintendent’s pay to better fit the range offered at other large Oklahoma school districts. He said in size, Mustang ranks 12th in the state, but among large school districts, its superintendent’s pay was at the bottom rung.

“Bonnie just has it all together ... she has the finance part, she has curriculum down,” Johnson said. “She’s strong with personnel. Her strengths are all over the place. It’s hard to find a weakness in her leadership.”

In her first week as superintendent, Lightfoot and other school officials will meet with architects to continue plans for a possible spring bond election. Improving Mustang High School’s facilities will continue to be a top priority, she said.

Officials are weighing their options for the bond proposal, either seeking a $20 million general obligation bond issue to help make repairs to facilities or a lease-revenue bond package that could allow the district to raise enough funds to possibly build a new high school campus, but also tie up its bonding capacity for a decade or longer.

Officials are expected to bring a proposal to school board members by February or March and take issues to patrons for a vote in April or May.

“We will look at every aspect of that,” Lightfoot said. “We have to look at the liabilities to the district, the progress we need to make, and it’s just a great honor to be a part of that.”

Since becoming interim superintendent, Lightfoot has helped work toward resolving problems with the new vocational agriculture facility and softball and soccer locker facilities left behind by contractor W.C. Doan Construction. Board members voted to terminate W.C. Doan’s contract in November.

A year after the contractor’s initial expected completion date, Lightfoot said the projects still were not finished. Bond Projects Director Jeff Woodard told board members after two months of work with the contractor’s surety company, the lengthy punch list of problems was narrowed down to a page that he said he hopes will be finished by the February board meeting.

In August, board members approved a 2-percent pay increase for support staff, a 1 percent to 1.5 percent increase for administrators and $250 per year for teachers, in addition to experience step raises.

Also under Lightfoot’s watch, Mustang School District curtailed its affiliation with the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement on the elementary and middle school level. In 2000, Mustang School District implemented the NCA’s Transitions Model — the only district in Oklahoma to embrace that school improvement plan. Officials said changes within NCA made them feel it was no longer an effective way to spend money.

“The board is very excited with what Bonnie has done in the transition since Karl has left,” Johnson said. “She has shown a lot of her character and leadership in the district. She is going to bring a lot of continuity.”

Lightfoot said she received support from other administrators, teachers and the community as she worked as interim superintendent.
“I’m real excited to continue with everything we have at Mustang,” she said. “I think it’s a great district, and I’m just honored that the board would select me to be the superintendent.”

Lightfoot came to Mustang as an assistant superintendent in 1998 and became deputy superintendent about eight years ago. She has worked in education for 35 years and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern Oklahoma State University as well as guidance and counseling certification from the University of Central Oklahoma. She earned her administrative certificate from the University of Oklahoma.

She started her career in Wagoner and then moved onto Broken Arrow, working in elementary and middle schools and also teaching special education.

Then her husband Tim Lightfoot was hired to start the state department’s community education program, and she was hired as a counselor in the Moore School District.

After five years in counseling, she worked as an elementary school principal in the district for 15 years before moving to Mustang.
As deputy superintendent, Bonnie Lightfoot oversaw the district’s personnel and finance, transportation and child nutrition departments.

The Lightfoots have three adult children, Chuck Bailey, Tammy Graham and Rick Bailey. She has lived in Norman for more than 30 years.