USD 114 NAMES NEW SUPERINTENDENT
Mr. John Whetzal begins leadership of USD 114 on July 1.
March 25, 2021
The USD 114 Board of Education has announced the selection of Mr. John Whetzal, as the new superintendent. Mr. Whetzal will take the reins on July 1, 2021, after the resignation of Mr. Travis B. Githens at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
Mr. Whetzal has 23 years of broad educational experience, 10 years as a teacher, 10 years as a building leader, and 3 years as a district leader. He has been K-12 principal of USD #380 Vermillion and Superintendent of USD #223 Barnes-Hanover-Linn. He oversaw developing new academic programming and curriculum, mentoring faculty, managing large budgets, and working with contractors during major construction and expansions for Barnes-Hanover-Linn.
Board President Jennifer Davis says that Mr. Whetzal emerged from a very thorough KASB search process as the right candidate to lead the District. “The Board is certain in our choice of Mr. Whetzal and confident that under his leadership USD 114 will continue to be recognized as an excellent environment for learning.
Jennifer Davis, Board President, explained that community input in the Spring of 2020, including the involvement of a committee of stakeholders was a key factor in the success of the superintendent search process. The committee included support staff, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. “The input from the community as a whole was very helpful to our process again this year.”
The Board selected two finalists, fully vetted by the KASB Superintendent Search Team.
As a board team we feel we made the right selection to serve our students and our community.