No decision on USD 235 superintendent; special meeting tonight

After more than two hours in closed session, the USD 235 Board of Education took no action Monday to hire a new district superintendent.

At the special meeting, board members spent most of their time in executive session to discuss the superintendent search. Board President Jason Sutterby began the meeting by calling for a 60-minute executive session to discuss personnel matters for non-elected personnel.

Following that session, board members took a brief break, then took two additional 30-minute closed sessions and a final 10-minute session to discuss the matter. The board then took no action after returning to open session and ending the meeting at 8:55 p.m.

At different points throughout the evening, board members called West Bourbon Elementary School Principal Tyler Jackman, Interim Superintendent Jan Hedges and Bonnie Rathbun into the closed meeting for discussion.

Rathbun was present to provide feedback as a representative of teachers in the district, according to district information.

The board scheduled another special meeting for 6:30 tonight in the Uniontown High School media room. The purpose of the meeting is an executive session to discuss personnel matters related to the superintendent search. Hedges said Tuesday she anticipates the board will take action at tonight's meeting.

Hedges said the board is taking its time in the matter and has had much information to sort through. Board members have received input from several people, including school administrators, district and teacher groups, since their search began.

"They're trying to be very thorough," she said. "They have to gather all of that feedback as well as their own interviews and share that information."

Hedges has served as interim superintendent and junior/senior high school principal since August 2015 following the resignation of longtime superintendent Randy Rockhold.

Board Clerk Sherri Hartman said the board has most recently been conducting a search for a full-time superintendent.

In addition to her duties as superintendent, Hedges has also been serving as principal of Uniontown Junior Senior High School. The board split the position last year, Hartman said.

"Last year, the board conducted a couple of interviews for the principal/superintendent position, but it didn't work out, so they decided to break it apart," she said.

Once a superintendent is chosen and officially hired, the board will look into hiring a high school principal for the 2017-18 school year, Hartman said.

The three finalists for the superintendent job are Jeff Jones, superintendent and principal of USD 106 Western Plains in Ransom since 2015; Brett Howard, high school principal and 7-12 Athletic Director at USD 492 Flint Hills since 2013; and Jim Goracke, principal of third, fourth and eighth grades at Chanute Elementary since 2008, according to district information.

The board interviewed Jones on Jan. 12, Goracke on Jan. 13 and Howard on Jan. 11.

In September, following an executive session to discuss negotiations and non-elected personnel, the board accepted Hedges' resignation, which becomes effective June 30. The board contracted with the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush to assist with the search for a full-time superintendent.

During the board's search last year, the community was surveyed to determine what qualities were preferable for a superintendent and three candidates were invited to on-site interviews. One of those candidates asked not to be considered. After meeting with the other two candidates last year, the board decided to discontinue the search and Hedges was asked to remain another year.

Sutterby said in September the board planned to resume the search within two months.

There have been 12-14 applicants for the superintendent position since the board's search began in early 2016.

After an initial screening of the newest applicants since the search resumed, the board narrowed the number of applicants down to four, of which one opted out, leaving the board with the three finalists, Hedges said.