Cory Gibson, a one-time Kansas Superintendent of the Year in the Valley Center School District outside Wichita, will replace Frank Harwood as the top administrator in USD 232.
The announcement came Wednesday evening following a months-long search for a new superintendent to serve in the northwest Johnson County school district that covers De Soto, western Shawnee as well as parts of Lenexa and Olathe.
“I look forward to the opportunity to lead and grow with the USD 232 community. Its outstanding reputation, current success, and future potential make this an exciting time for the school district,” Gibson said in a district news release.
Harwood, who became superintendent seven years ago, is expected to retire in June at the end of this school year. His leadership spanned the 2018 bond approval and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gibson has had a decorated, well-traveled career
- In 2020, Gibson was named the Kansas Superintendent of the Year and recognized by the Friends of Education Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force.
- A Kansas native, Gibson got his start at an elementary school in Girard, Kan., in 1999, and later became principal at Roosevelt Elementary in Miami, Okla.
- He also made a stop as principal at Lakeside Elementary in Pittsburg, Kan.
- He then made the jump to secondary schools, serving as principal at Pittsburg Community Middle School for a few years before becoming an assistant superintendent of the Pittsburg school district.
- He also served two years as superintendent of the Halstead-Bentley school district and has been with Valley Center for the past 11 years.
- Gibson has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in school administration, a district level administration degree and an educational specialist degree from Pittsburg State University.
He also has a doctorate of education from the University of Arkansas.
21 people applied for the USD 232 job
- The search for the next superintendent began in earnest last October with the help of GR Recruiting, a consultant firm.
- Aside from a few updates in public school board meetings, much of the search process occurred in closed-door executive sessions.
- The top three finalists were interviewed in private earlier this week and were not publicly identified.
Next steps:
- Gibson’s official hiring as superintendent is not quite final: the school board will have to formally sign off after “final employment discussions,” according to a district announcement.
- If that all goes to plan, Gibson would take over officially on July 1, the day after Harwood is set to retire.
- According to the school district’s announcement, Gibson will be expected to begin the transition process before his official start date, so he may appear at school district functions, some school board meetings and other events.
