From the time his name was made public as a candidate nearly two weeks ago, J.K. Campbell appeared to be the shoo-in pick as Winfield’s next superintendent of schools.
On Monday night – just minutes after being introduced as the replacement for Marvin Estes – Campbell said he never considered his hiring a sure thing.
“I wish I had been that confident,” Campbell, who was USD 465’s teacher of the year in 1994, said. “With these things, anything can happen.”
But some candidates just seem to be a natural fit for a job and Campbell admitted that although he’d spent the last 12 years as an administrator with the Ark City school district, he always had a feeling he’d end up back in Winfield.
Campbell spent years in Winfield as a sixth-grade lead teacher at the old Winfield Middle School, a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Whittier Elementary and a fourth grade teacher at Irving Elementary.
He left the district in the late 90s to become principal at IXL Elementary in Ark City. Campbell then spent a year-and-a-half as USD 470’s business manager before being promoted to assistant superintendent for business and operations, the job he’s held for the last five years.
While Campbell is one of two finalists without a doctorate, he is a degree candidate for a doctorate in education leadership from Wichita State University this spring, a couple months before he becomes superintendent July 1.
Estes – Campbell’s predecessor – said he knows Campbell well and approved of the board’s unanimous decision to make the hire.
“He’s a good man,” Estes said.
A statement from the school district praised Campbell’s background in budget and school finance, human resources, negotiations, strategic planning, facilities and operations and various other areas.
Campbell will receive a base salary of $115,000 per year plus a $4,000 annual car allowance for in-district travel. He will also be provided a $150,000 term life insurance policy, $100 month for a cell phone allowance and a single paid health insurance policy with premiums valued at roughly $4,400.
His total compensation package is approximately $125,000, according to a written statement from the school district. Campbell will also be provided $4,000 for moving and relocation and he has six months to sell his home in Ark City and move into the Winfield school district.
School board president Bob Gottlob said the board was happy with how the hiring process was handled and satisfied with the role the Kansas Association of School Boards played in facilitating the search.
“The board is extremely pleased that we have attracted someone of J.K. Campbell’s caliber to take the district leadership reins,” Gottlob said.
