Robert Spoonemore

Robert Spoonemore

Written by Kathy Lesko Monday, 07 August 2006

Robert Spoonemore says that he didn’t have to go anywhere else to become superintendent of a larger school district. He just stayed in Pflugerville after being hired in 1981 when the district included two elementary schools, one middle school and one 2A high school with about 350 students.

“By the time I left [in 1999], it was a 9A district,” he said laughing. “Pflugerville High School was a 5A school with 2300 students and Connally was a 4A with 1800.”

Spoonemore moved to Pflugerville after serving nine years as superintendent of schools in Ralls, TX near Lubbock. He explains that he and his wife Glenda whom he met while a student at West Texas State University had always enjoyed the Austin area and saw some possibilities of growth in the schools here.

“The students were easy to teach when we moved here,” Spoonemore said, “and Pflugerville already had a reputation of good schools. But as an administrator there were other problems. The district was made up of either bedroom or farming communities with a high tax base.”

He remembers the traditional school board, comprised of mainly German men, who always wanted to do what was right for the students, but who were also extremely economical.

“They taught me good fiscal habits,” Spoonemore said.

One of the first goals he and the board made was to make the district a more attractive place to work.

“We noticed that Austin and Round Rock were both stealing away some of our good teachers,” he said.

So the board began making it more attractive by raising salaries even if that meant giving up other things in order to pay people better.

“We knew that just as in business,” he said, “you have to get good people to get good results.”

The school board also saw growth coming on, so they made it a goal to keep building new facilities, trying to avoid using portable buildings as much as possible.

“In my 18 years as superintendent, I had more bond issues passed than any other superintendent in the state,” he said.

By the time Spoonemoore retired, the school system had grown to 17 campuses serving more than 12,000 students. His staff of teachers exploded from 150 to 1,000.

“I used to be able to have meetings and call them all by name,” he said, “but toward the end, I honestly couldn’t.”

His efforts were recognized in 1995 when he was named Central Texas Superintendent of the Year.

“But the thing I was most proud of,” Spoonemore said, “was the next year in ’96, our school board was named Honor Board of the State.”

Since retiring, he and his wife have visited more than 40 countries. However, he remains involved with education when not traveling. He has worked part-time for Texas’ Education Service Center and on behalf of the State has provided his expertise in monitoring schools who need help.

“I may not have always been the most popular,” Spoonemore reflects on his legacy as the superintendent serving the longest in Pflugerville’s history, “but they all knew I could get the job done.”

Business Sense

“Our success [as Texas Outstanding School Board] was largely due to Bob Spoonemore’s keen business sense. He responded to the needs of the district providing buildings, procuring property and keeping the district fiscally responsible.” Dr. Jeff Burnett, DDS, President of PISD school board, 1990-1998

Editor’s note: Bob Spoonemore was probably the first person I met in Pflugerville in 1988 when my husband and I interviewed for teaching positions. I remember coming out of our interview excited about this district. It was obvious that he was proud of its accomplishments and its promise.