Western Plains Unified School District No. 106 superintendent (and high school principal and teacher) Kerry Lacock is leaving The Bobcat Nation.
He has taken a job at Lakin U.S.D No. 215. He will be the superintendent for that district.
Last time I wrote about a superintendent, I wasn’t very supportive, but that’s because he hadn’t earned any support from me.
However, I fully support Lacock’s decision. He is a great guy and always has the best interests of the school and students when making decisions at the helm of the district.
He has been instrumental in helping me find my place in the world of education, and he has helped me work toward goals I know I will be able to achieve thanks in no small part to his assistance.
Thanks to him, I am a football coach, assistant basketball coach, a bus route driver and a substitute teacher. Not to mention the extra jobs I hope to be taking on next year, if everything goes according to plan.
Rarely have I worked for someone who I truly agreed with. He was understanding and helpful in any situation, and I felt some of my philosophies matched up well with his. I always knew where I stood, and his door was always open if I needed to speak with him.
As he departs, he will be taking his wife and children with him. His wife, Teresa Lacock, is the Western Plains South Elementary School principal and a teacher. She too will be working in the Lakin district.
I wish them all luck. Lakin is lucky to have them.
In preparation for a regime change within the Western Plains district, the Board of Education has been looking for a new superintendent. As of now, the pool of applicants has been pared down to three candidates, each of which is spending one day this week in the district.
Wednesday was the first candidate’s time in The Bobcat Nation. His name is Roger Stumpf (principal at Onaga High School). Today’s candidate is Josh Swartz (Andale High School assistant principal and athletic director), and Friday’s candidate is Darrin Herl (Wheatland U.S.D. 292 superintendent, high school principal and elementary school principal).
I don’t know a lot about them all, but I hope to get to meet each of them because on the day each person is here, there is a time for a meet-and-greet session with district employees and community members. I met Stumpf Wednesday, but I won’t put up any thoughts about the candidates until I’ve met them all and had real time to process my thoughts.
