OPS' Peacock retiring from IT duties
Mike Peacock has been helping Owensboro Public Schools meet the technological needs of its staff and students for the past 26 years.
A graduate of ITT with a degree in electronic engineering technology, Peacock has seen many technological advancements since he started in the summer 1998, with him evolving into a “Mr. Fix-It” for the district.
“It’s been a little bit of everything,” said Peacock, who is retiring at the end of the school year. “Most of my time has been spent repairing devices and different equipment. But you name it, I’ve done it. If it plugs into a wall, I’ve probably worked on it — laminators, copy machines.”
Peacock has also been involved in several district construction projects, including at Sutton and Newton Parrish elementary schools. He also oversees that the cameras on all school buses are working properly, in addition to helping the bus garage with any issues that arise.
But he said the district’s decision 12 years ago to supply laptops to all students evolved into the focus for his position.
“We started farming out the repair work, but the work was pretty expensive, and what we were getting back was not really the work (we wanted),” he said. “We have pretty high standards; we always have. So we took over the repairs of all the students’ laptops and the teacher devices, and that’s really what I’ve done over the course of the last 12 years.
“We really pride ourselves on customer service. If I’m going to work on something for an individual, for a school, I’m going to do it like it’s my own. I take great pride in that.”
Peacock, a level 2 district technician, said there there were only three employees in the department when he started, including his mentors, Don Fogle and Norman Hill.
Today, there are 11 employees in the department.
“Those guys kind of took me under their wing and really helped me along my way, got my feet under me so I could take off,” said Peacock, who said the department’s dedication to doing good work hasn’t waned. “We’ve always prided ourselves on what we needed to do to get you where you needed to be. We’ve got some really good people in our department.”
Peacock said he was fortunate not only to have worked in the same system he went to school — he graduated from Owensboro High School in 1983 — but also the one his children attended.
“Being part of the school system, I came from and being able to watch (my children) grow up through the system was really cool,” said Peacock, whose daughter Ali teaches computer science at Owensboro Innovation Academy.
Peacock said he enjoyed his work, but it’s his co-workers he’ll miss the most.
“It’s the relationships I’ve built along the way; not just with the other techs, but the people out in the buildings,” he said. “The work is the work. When I leave here, I can find fulfillment in other things pretty easily, but the relationships are the thing I’m going to miss the most.”
Anita Burnette, OPS’ interim superintendent, said the work of the technology team is a backbone of modern education.
“Our technology team does so much work behind the scenes for our students to ensure they have all the tools available to learn in the best way possible,” she said. “If you think about how far technology has come in 26 years, you understand how adaptable our staff has to be to keep up with an ever-changing landscape.
“Mike has been a vital pillar of learning the latest technologies and tools that are available and working tirelessly to implement those into our curriculum. He now has a daughter who is a teacher at our Innovation campus, so his legacy will live on for years to come in the lives of our students through his daughter, much like it has with him during his time at OPS.”
Peacock doesn’t have a longterm retirement plan. He said it will be nice to have his first summer off since between his sophomore and junior years in high school.
“Im going to enjoy the summer, and we’ll see where that leads,” he said. “I’ve got some things I may want to do. I enjoy being outside. I have a lot of plants and flowers I enjoy taking care of.
“We’ll see where things lead us in this new adventure.”
