On November 3, the Pattonville Board of Education announced that Dr. Barry Nelson will be the next superintendent of Pattonville School District, following the retirement of the current superintendent, Dr. Pecoraro.

Dr. Pecoraro has been Pattonville’s superintendent for the past four years, and is set to retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, with Dr. Nelson taking over for the 2022-2023 school year.

“Serving as superintendent the past four years has been the highlight of my professional career,” Dr. Pecoraro stated in his retirement announcement. “Pattonville will forever be a special place to me. Once a Pirate, always a Pirate.”

One of the school board’s priorities was to find the next superintendent from within the Pattonville community. Dr. Nelson’s previous roles in Pattonville have included principal at Rose Acres Elementary School for eight years, interim administrative intern at Rose Acres, physical education teacher at Carrollton Oaks Elementary School, and Pattonville’s Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources since 2009.

Dr. Nelson also holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and a master’s, specialist’s, and doctorate degrees in education administration from Lindenwood University.