Superintendent transition plan discussed

Superintendent Winston Brooks and Interim Superintendent Martin Libhart shared their plan with the Board of Education to ensure a smooth transition as Superintendent Brooks leaves the district at the end of June. Superintendent Brooks stressed that he is still responsible for making decisions until that time, but he will involve Libhart in those decisions and keep him informed.

While Libhart serves the district as Interim Superintendent, the position of Chief Operations Officer will remain vacant. He will resume his duties as COO after the new superintendent is hired. Libhart said leaving the position vacant for a year will help cover costs that weren’t budgeted for the next year, such as the search for a new superintendent.

Libhart is meeting with certain employees and groups to learn more about some of the issues facing them. He is attending key leadership meetings, budget meetings and discussions on employee negotiations alongside Superintendent Brooks. Libhart is placing commitments scheduled for the superintendent after June 30 onto his calendar.

Certain year-end activities, such as high school commencement ceremonies, will still be attended by Superintendent Brooks.

The Board of Education has scheduled a retreat on June 17 to once again meet with Dr. Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of Great City Schools. The Board will take the feedback it received when they first met with Dr. Casserly on April 11, identify pertinent questions and develop responses to key issues. The board will identify the basic parameters of the search and establish a timeline during the retreat. The location will be announced later.

Information on the superintendent search is available on the Wichita Public Schools’ website, www.usd259.com/news/superintendent+search. More information will be added to the site as the search process continues.




April 28, 2008