Star-Journbal Editor
Amid the turmoil of a pending court battle to defend its bond referendum victory, the USD 410 board of education set aside legal concerns Monday to say its farewells to Gordon Mohn, the retiring superintendent.
In his last board meeting Mohn, 57, accepted tokens of appreciation for 14 years as USD 410 superintendent, and three years as principal of Hillsboro High School.
Elementary school principal Evan Yoder described Mohn's time at the helm with one word.
"Fantastic! He is an advocate for kids who are less privileged, he goes the extra mile, didn't micromanage and encouraged us, he is a great person to work for."
The board approved a $75,750 11-month contract to serve as superintendent from Aug. 1, through June 30, 2008.
Just as the McPherson board of education hired USD 410's retiring Gordon Mohn to meet its needs, USD 410 has asked another recently-retired school superintendent to take the job he's leaving behind.
For the past nine years Huxman has been superintendent at Troy USD 429 in Doniphan County, located in the wriggled, northeast corner of the state. Prior to taking the Troy position in the mid- 1990s, he served as district superintendent in Marion.
Mohn is "already several years past" the 85 years of combined age and length of employment needed for full retirement.
All of the candidates for the USD 410 interim position had put in more than enough years to retire and draw a pension, and were young enough to work for a few more years.
Huxman, 60, who served 35 years, retires with 95 years.
Mohn, who retires June 30, will be assistant superintendent of McPherson USD 418. As director of special education, he will manage Head Start and other programs in the McPherson district and four other districts in the county.
Hiring Huxman will give the district the experience it needs now, and allow the board time to find the ideal superintendent for the future. The board will advertise the open position in the fall, conduct a thorough search, and name a superintendent by February.
A graduate of Moundridge High School, Huxman earned a bachelor's degree in vocal music education from Bethel College; a master's in school counseling from Emporia State University; a master's in education administration from Fort Hays State University, and a doctorate in education administration from Wichita State University.
Huxman's wife, Vickie (Youk) Huxman, is a graduate of Marion High School. After working as a librarian in Troy, she will work at Parkside Homes.
While the Huxmans have several good reasons to return to central Kansas, most of the reasons are grand. They have a daughter living in Newton, with two grandsons, a son in Newton with one grandson, and a son south of Moundridge with three grandsons.
"And all but one of the grandchildren were born since we've been up here," Huxman said, adding that his parents are still living in Hesston.
Mohn's last day at USD 410 will be June 30, but Huxman won't start work until Aug. 1.
In the interim, the interim-interim will be Hillsboro High School principal Dale Honeck, the only USD 410 staffer licensed as a district-level administrator.
The law requires someone to be in the position, Mohn said, to sign documents needed or take official action that need superintendent-level input.
Honeck, who will be paid an extra $1,500 for filling the gap, took some ribbing about his official duties in light of recent litigation.
A colleague quipped that his official duties would be "signing documents, contracts, and handling lawsuits."
Everybody laughed.
Unless a quick settlement can be reached under Honeck's watch, interim superintendent Huxman will be called upon to help preserve the district's $6.625 million bond election victory against a legal challenge filed in district court.
While it's uncertain if there will be any building projects for him to manage, Huxman will still have a school district to run.
"I officially cannot start until Aug. 1, but I know I'll be informed about what's going on," Huxman said.
"I know that things are in good shape both academically and organizationally," he added.
"When a person comes into a position like I am, as an interim, you don't try to make big changes. You try to learn where they are in the process. As far as I'm concerned it's a group effort.
"We'll try to make the best decisions for the kids and the community."
No matter what happens with the lawsuit, Mohn is confident that Huxman is the right man to lead the district through troubled times.
"He understands that the role of an interim is a little bit different than a superintendent as far as how much to maintain and how much to push ahead."
When the Huxmans came back to visit, they often stayed in Hillsboro with Tom and Laurie Koslowsky. (Laurie is Vickie's half-sister). The Huxmans liked Hillsboro so much, they decided to move here when he retired from Troy, so they bought a house on Juniper Street.
His Welcome Wagon gift was an unexpected opportunity to work for another year, as interim superintendent at USD 410.
"We had made the decision to move back there before this even came open, and had actually purchased the house before we knew this was a possibility," he said.
The Huxmans have been packing their belongings in Troy and schlepping them halfway across the state every weekend, making their house a home 430 round-trip miles at a time.
