Veteran hire

A veteran Lawrence school administrator is coming out of retirement to serve the Tonganoxie district.

The Tonganoxie school district this week hired a veteran northeast Kansas administrator to a one-year contract to head the district while the school board searches for its next superintendent.

Randy Weseman, the long-time and now retired Lawrence school superintendent, will lead the Tonganoxie district for the next year. It’s a smart move for both Tonganoxie and Weseman, who will bring experience, enthusiasm, energy and knowledge to the job.

Weseman also can provide valuable insight to school board members as they go through the process of hiring a new superintendent.

Weseman said after his interview that he and the Tonganoxie school leaders had a good chemistry and that it was a “pretty easy decision” once he was offered the job. He replaces Kyle Hayden, who is taking a job as an assistant superintendent in the Lawrence school district.

Weseman was a solid leader of Lawrence schools and is respected by educators statewide. After student-teaching in Lawrence, he was hired as a high school teacher in 1976. He later taught at the junior high level and was an assistant principal and principal at the junior high level before being named superintendent in 2000. Weseman has done consulting for the Kansas Association of School Boards since retiring in 2009.

He led the Lawrence school district in both good and in challenging times. Lawrence is the seventh largest school district in the state, with enrollment last school year at 10,600; Tonganoxie’s enrollment is 1,900 students.

The smaller district will, no doubt, be a change of pace for Weseman, but Tonganoxie school officials should feel fortunate to find such an experienced educator to lead the district for the next year and help set a strong course for the future.