After troubled year, Johnson County school board names district’s new superintendent
After a turbulent school year including the resignations of a superintendent and four school board members, the Gardner Edgerton school board on Tuesday unanimously selected its next leader.
Brian Huff, the current associate superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment in the Raytown school district, has been named Gardner Edgerton’s new superintendent. Huff has nearly 30 years of experience in education, starting as a middle school teacher and moving up to administrative roles, spending the past 15 years in Raytown.
The school board approved his appointment during a special meeting Tuesday evening. Huff will start in the role on July 1.
“I am very excited to be a part of the Gardner Edgerton family,” Huff said in a news release. “The communities of Gardner and Edgerton have a rich tradition and the small-town feel that my family enjoys. The school district is a leader and innovator in education and is a remarkably good fit for my family and me. I am looking forward to what we will all do together as we continue to show Johnson County and Kansas what outstanding education looks like.”
Huff will replace former superintendent Pam Stranathan, who resigned after a campaign by school board candidates to oust her. One week after the November election, where four of those conservative candidates won, incumbent Lana Sutton began unilaterally searching for an interim superintendent, even though Stranathan had no public plans to leave her job at the time.
To avoid a possible wrongful termination lawsuit, the former school board approved a $425,000 severance package for Stranathan.
The school board appointed James Sutton (no relation to the school board member) as interim superintendent.
The school board has seen four resignations this school year. Two happened this summer, with board members walking out of a meeting during heated mask mandate protests. Two other board members, Robin Stout and Kristen Schultz, recently resigned over frustrations about the new board members and a feeling that they would not be able to work together.
Huff also will join the district as it grapples with an expected $3.5 million budget shortfall, mostly due to declining enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The USD 231 Board of Education is excited to welcome Dr. Huff to our school district,” school board president Lana Sutton said in a statement. “Brian participated in an exhaustive search process and demonstrated he was the best candidate to the interview committees and school board. We have complete confidence that Dr. Huff will be a great asset to the district and will work collaboratively with all stakeholders to improve our district in the future.”
Huff has spent 25 years in school administration as an assistant principal, building and district activities director, principal and assistant superintendent before taking his current position. Huff was recognized as the Missouri State High School Principal of the Year in 2013, according to the release.
Huff has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Southwest Baptist University, a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Kansas.
