Jennifer Meckley is moving up to the top job in the Lebanon Community School District, at least temporarily.
Moving from assistant superintendent to interim superintendent, Meckley has served the district for 26 years, according to a news release stating the district’s school board made the pick during a meeting Thursday, Jan. 12.
“We are already making amazing strides in ways that set us apart from other districts,” Meckley said in the news release. “And we have more work to do for every student.”
Working as assistant superintendent since 2019, Meckley replaces Bo Yates, who capped a nearly 30-year career in education at the end of 2022, 18 months before his contract’s end date. The early departure was reportedly prompted by a medical condition.
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Yates, a former Lebanon High School football star and graduate, was superintendent since 2019. The district’s board chose the long-time teacher, principal and leader in local education, to serve as interim superintendent in 2018. He guided the district through two years of COVID-19 pandemic learning conditions.
Before she was an administrator, Meckley spent a decade as a classroom teacher, the news release said. She also worked as the director of human resources in the district office, where she added employee relations and labor negotiations to her teaching skills, according to the release.
“Jen is a competent leader for many reasons — not the least of which is her ability to forge relationships with anyone,” Board Chairman Tom Oliver said in the news release. “But it’s her sense of purpose and commitment to students that ensures LCSD will continue to improve.”
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As a resident of Lebanon and an alumna of its schools, where her own children also attended, Meckley has deep ties to the community and its families, the release said, adding she feels energized as she looks ahead.