Ozark superintendent to retire from district

SBJ file

Chris Bauman has led the district since 2018.

Provided by Ozark School District

Lori Wilson has been appointed interim superintendent for the 2023-24 school year.

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Ozark School District's five-year superintendent has set his retirement date.

Chris Bauman's last day at the district is scheduled June 30, according to a news release.

"The time has come for me to enjoy my time with my wife, my children and my grandson," Bauman said in the release. His wife has terminal cancer, district officials say.

The Ozark school board earlier this year approved a contract extension for Bauman to serve through the 2025-26 academic year. He's been superintendent since 2018 and an Ozark School District employee since 1999.

“Dr. Bauman captained our district through a worldwide pandemic,” said Sarah Adams Orr, school board president, in the release. “He and his team championed Ozark students by overseeing the construction of a best-in-class occupational training center. He has raised the profile of the Ozark School District, and he will be missed."

Under Bauman's tenure, a century-old administration building was renovated for the Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center, which won the Springfield Contractors Association’s Design Team of the Year award last year, according to past reporting. The superintendent also is credited with leading the district to open the $23.2 million Ozark Innovation Center for new student curricula in a former manufacturing center.

The Ozark Board of Education voted April 13 to appoint Lori Wilson as interim superintendent for the 2023-24 school year. Wilson currently is assistant superintendent of business and chief financial officer, according to the release.