Dr. and Mrs. Caffey return to OISD
Dr. and Mrs. Caffey return to OISD

Dr. and Mrs. Caffey return to OISD

Former Olney High School Principal Matt Caffey and his wife, teacher Lani Caffey, will be returning to the Olney Independent School District for the 2023-24 school year, just one year after leaving OISD to move closer to family in East Texas.

The OISD board of trustees unanimously offered Dr. and Mrs. Caffey new contracts at their Feb. 23 meeting. Dr. Caffey will take over as principal of Olney Elementary School and Mrs. Caffey will teach social studies at Olney Junior High School. Dr. Caffey’s arrival neatly fills a spot at the head of OES left vacant by Gunter Rodriguez, who will become Athletic Director in the 2023-24 school year.

“Welcome home,” OISD board Chairman Jake Bailey told Dr. Caffey after voting to re-up the contracts.

Dr. Caffey said he was looking forward to “the opportunity to contribute to the district again.” “This is home and I’m just glad there is a place for me,” he said.

The Caffeys left their posts last summer to work their magic at the Anderson-Shiro Consolidated Independent School District after a six-year tenure that brought national honors to OHS.

The Caffeys, including 9-year-old Magnolia and 13-year-old Will, made the move to be closer to Lani Caffey’s family in East Texas. Matt Caffey took over as principal of Anderson-Shiro Junior-Senior High School, and Lani Caffey was slated to teach at the middle school.

Dr. Caffey’s tenure at Olney High School included the school’s 2021 U.S. News & World Report listing as one of America’s best high schools.

He faces a new challenge in bringing up OES’s state ranking to an ‘A’-rated campus from its current ‘B’ ranking, which school officials have attributed to the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic.

“There is a good staff there and I think we will make some adjustments and we will get there,” Dr. Caffey said. “I have full confidence that the current administration will get it there for this year, to be honest with you.”