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First USD 235 superintendent/principal candidate arrives
Interviews for the USD 235 superintendent/principal got underway Monday when the first of two candidates toured the district.
Craig Bagshaw, Chanute, had a day-long interview with USD 235 staff, faculty and community Monday.
By the time of Bagshaw's mid-afternoon press interview, he had met elementary school staff, toured the district which comprises the western portion of Bourbon County, met with a student group, lunched with junior and senior high school staff, met district personnel and toured the two buildings in the school district.
And the day was half over.
"The schedule has gone by very quickly," Bagshaw said. "It's been pleasant."
Bagshaw spoke to the Tribune about his impression and about himself.
Impressions
The district staff and faculty are committed to the students they serve, Bagshaw said.
"They are an exceptional group of people," Bagshaw said. "When you visit with them, the passion they express in their statements. They love this place."
Bagshaw said he asked about the $2.5 million bond issue that is funding a school improvement project this year.
"They said it passed overwhelmingly," Bagshaw said. "That is huge. For a community to take on that kind of expense. It means they love their school, they love their teachers and the quality of education they receive."
Bagshaw said he is ready for a dual responsibility position that the district is needing because there are key people in key positions.
"Jim Mason, (lead teacher in the district)" Bagshaw said. "He's going to manage a lot of things that are time detractors. I think the right people are on the bus. That was my fear. How many hats can one person have? I'm feeling better about transportation, I'm feeling better about food service, I'm feeling better about the board clerk. I'm feeling good about Mr. Jackman taking on some responsibilities for campus and building security issues. So some of my stressed has eased."
Tyler Jackman is in his first year as elementary principal.
Ties with the area
Bagshaw, who graduated from high school in Coventry, R.I., is familiar with Bourbon County. Interest in sports brought Bagshaw to Fort Scott Community College, he said. Bagshaw's brother, Bill, was the basketball coach at Fort Scott for a time.
"It was cheaper for me to come all the way to Kansas, pay out-of-state fees and play football and baseball here, than to stay in Rhode Island," Bagshaw said. "I came to Fort Scott because it was going to cost me $26,000 receiving a half-time scholarship at the University of Rhode Island. It was a good opportunity to come and go to a quality school, a little school, an affordable school.
"Had it not been for sports, I probably would have been a commercial fisherman and had lobster pots and hung sheet-rock in the winter," he said with a laugh.
But sports were the hook to get him to FSCC where he graduated in 1987.
He met his wife, Sherri Vanderford of Chanute, through his community college experience.
Current position
Bagshaw is currently principal at Garfield Elementary School in Parsons, he said.
"In Parsons, I have three nationally-board-certified teachers in that building," he said. "Those teachers are with it. It's a neat place, I really do like it there. But there are bigger and better opportunities."
He said this is a good time in his life for a transition.
"My oldest daughter is going to graduate college and my youngest daughter is going to (start) college," he said.
He completed coursework for superintendent licensure at Pittsburg State University in 2014. Bagshaw thought possibly a transition would happen in a year or two, he said. But his wife had a chance meeting with someone who knew of the superintendent position at USD 235. Steve Parsons, who is on the superintendent search advisory team for USD 235, is the former superintendent of Chanute's school district.
"My wife was doing a business showcase," Bagshaw said. "(Parsons) is still very supportive of Chanute schools and he came out. They were talking. He said there might be an opportunity to be at Uniontown. He said 'You make sure Craig takes a look at that, because that's a nice place.'"