Thursday, February 1, 2007

Stability a top priority on Pfau's list

by Kenneth Lassiter

The end of the tunnel is gradually coming into sight for the Oskaloosa school district in its efforts to put financial problems in the past, and Jon Pfau hopes he can help the district find its way to stability.

Jon Pfau

Pfau, 38, will start July 1 as the district’s new superintendent after spending the last nine
years as assistant high school principal and
later middle school and then elementary
school principal in the district. Over the
interim six months, Pfau will continue to focus
on his job as elementary superintendent
while slowly making the transition to his new
job under the tutelage of Dr. Harry Austin, who
has been the district’s superintendent since June
2006 on an interim basis.

The decision to leave his comfort zone as principal and make the step up to his first superintendent job was not an easy one according to Pfau.

“My wife and I talked about it extensively and made a list with pros on one side and cons on the other,” Pfau said. “In the end, the pros side was somewhat longer so that helped make the decision.

“I was hoping the school board would consider me for the position when they opened it up. I took a look at it and felt this was a good time and a good fit for me. I feel very fortunate that they gave me this chance. I felt this was a good opportunity in a district I like and know so well.”

Pfau and his wife, Stacia, live in Ozawkie and have three children – Haley, 12, Braeden, 8, and Jenna, 5. Pfau is a native of Goodland who met Jefferson County native and Jefferson West graduate Stacia at junior college. Stacia is also a staff member at the elementary school.

Pfau has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Fort Hays State University and plans to begin work on his doctorate at some point in the future. He has completed a licensure program in school district work from Washburn University.

Stability is one main focus Pfau has in taking the job as superintendent. The job has been in flux since Dr. Loren Lutes resigned amid financial problems and IRS penalties in early 2006. Interim superintendents Jerry Fuqua, Dr. Kent Hurn and Austin kept the seat warm and helped the district begin the recovering process from the problems and Pfau will be next in line.

“One of the most important areas will be the budget and keeping it as stable as possible,” Pfau said. “One of the key parts of my job will be using that money in ways that help the district the most. Another area I want to make an emphasis is maintaining and moving forward with the work we’ve done in curriculum and instruction. With the No Child Left Behind regulations and state expectations, it’s important to continue to work toward improving.”

The learning process for Pfau as superintendent has already begun as he stays in close contact with Austin and, when a part of the superintendent job arises Pfau isn’t familiar with, Austin brings him over to his office to show him the ropes. While matters as elementary principal understandably take up the bulk of Pfau’s time, slow and steady progress is being made in his new education as a superintendent.

As an administrator who has established a new home in eastern Kansas over his nine years at Oskaloosa, Pfau also understands his ability to add some stability to the superintendent’s position.

“Stability and that feeling of service to the community are things that are also very important to me,” Pfau said. “Schools have evolved to the point where you’re working with everyone to make sure children are being educated. It’s important for everyone to understand their role in that and work together to make sure everyone meets standards. I’ve served at all three levels of the school, so I know a lot of the staff professionally. The good thing is we’ve got outstanding staff all-around, including the custodians and bus drivers and cooks – everybody. That was another big factor for me in making the decision to take the job.”

One drawback to the move up will be the time lost that Pfau likes to spend in the halls and cafeteria talking to and being around the students. He said he hopes he is able to keep in touch with that part of the job once he is superintendent.

“That kid interaction is something I’ve really enjoyed and I’ll miss that but hopefully there are other things I can do like building tours and stuff like that to stay involved and see the kids in the hallways,” Pfau said. “That helps remind you why we’re really here.”