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Atha to interview for Hutch superintendent
Published 6/16/2010 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGER
Rick Atha, superintendent of USD 457 Garden City, is scheduled today to interview for the superintendent job in Hutchinson, according to a press release issued by Hutchinson USD 308.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram USD 457 Superintendent Rick Atha speaks to Garden City High School graduates during the 2009 Commencement ceremonies.
Atha will have a formal interview with the Hutchinson board of education at 5 p.m. in closed session. He is the last of three candidates to be interviewed.
The public in Hutchinson was scheduled to have a chance to meet Atha from 3 to 3:30 p.m. today at the Hutchinson Career and Technical Academy.
Rick Kraus, executive director for human resources for USD 308, was the first candidate interviewed for the position. Jim Lentz, superintendent at Augusta and former Garden City superintendent prior to Atha, was interviewed on Tuesday.
Atha has been in communication with the Garden City USD 457 Board of Education about the Hutchinson job.
Jeff Crist, a USD 457 board member, said whether Atha stays or goes to Hutchinson, he appreciates what he's done for USD 457.
"I think he's one of the premier superintendents," Crist said about Atha. "He is on par with the best of them. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him."
Garden City has 7,461 students and is the ninth largest school district in the state. It has 687 certified teachers. Hutchinson USD 308, in comparison, has 4,917 students and 439 certified teachers.
Although Hutchinson's school district is smaller, the superintendent's salary and benefits would come to $185,273. Atha currently makes $150,775 in Garden City.
Crist said the USD 457 board is looking objectively at Atha's potential departure. Crist said Hutchinson offers a salary that Garden City can't, and if he were in the same position, he would accept the new job if offered.
"I hate to think that he will leave," Crist said. "But I can understand why he's interviewing and why he would take it."
Atha has been superintendent at Garden City Public Schools since 2005. Prior to that, he was an educator in Missouri. He was deputy superintendent at Raytown, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City, Mo., from 1999 to 2005. He also served the district as principal at Raytown High School from 1993 to 1999, was interim principal at Raytown South High School from 1992 to 1993 and was assistant principal for Raytown South from 1990 through 1992.
He was class principal at Blue Springs, Mo., High School from 1988 to 1990, was assistant principal at Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Mo., from 1987 to 1988, served as administrative assistant and director of Summer Academy at Lee's Summit, Mo., from 1983 to 1987 and was a teacher and coach at Lee's Summit from 1979 to 1987 and a teacher and coach at Raytown from 1973 to 1979.
He received his doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1998. He received his education specialist degree from Central Missouri State at Warrensburg in 1985 and his master's degree from the same school in 1977. He received his bachelor of science in 1973 from William Jewell College at Liberty, Mo.
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