By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Candidate for the Hays USD 489 superintendent position Michael Gower said he believes in the three Rs — relationships, relationships, relationships.
Gower is the third of four candidates interviewing for the top job at USD 489. He interviewed Wednesday. Herington superintendent Ron Wilson will interview Thursday, and Keith Hall, USD 489 interim director of finance, and Jamie Wetig, Ashland superintendent, interviewed last week.
The school board is set to vote on its selection for superintendent at its meeting Monday.
Gower is the superintendent at Phillipsburg and Logan. His daughters both teach in the Hays school district. Michaela Gower teaches fifth grade at Roosevelt Elementary School, and Mindy Gower is a third-grade teacher at O’Loughlin Elementary School.
In part because of his family connection and close proximity to Hays, Gower said he was familiar with the Hays school district. He said his daughters were concerned about the turnover in leadership within the Hays school district and urged their father to apply for the superintendent job. He said he thought he could bring more stability to the position.
“I am a western Kansas person, and I believe in this area of the state, and I want to see it succeed. If I am hired, I am not going anywhere,” he said. “I will stay here as long as they’ll have me.”
Gower and his wife are also graduates of Fort Hays State University. Gower has a master’s degree and a superintendent endorsement from FHSU.
“I just wanted to stretch myself a little bit,” he said. “I have been at Phillipsburg now for about 20 years as a teacher, principal and superintendent. I have always admired the Hays district and just felt that is some place I would like to be.”
Gower took on the additional responsibility as superintendent at Logan six years ago.
Despite leading two districts, he tries to visit and interact with the students and staff in each of the districts’ buildings each week.
“I try to get in each building and see the students, interact with the students and the teachers,” he said. “That helps remind me of why I am actually doing this job. … Our main reason of being in education is to work with kids and to do what is best for kids.”
Kathy Rome, KNEA UniServ director, attended the public meet-and-greet with Gower on Wednesday and she asked about his relationship with teachers and the teachers’ unions in Logan and Phillipsburg. Rome acknowledged she had not been called in to assist with negotiations in either of Gower’s districts in recent years.
The Hays school board reached impasse with teachers in negotiations last year over a pay, and a federal meditator had to be brought it to resolve the dispute.
“We have always come to an agreement sooner or later. I think it has been mutual respect,” he said of past negotiations in his district. “We have been able to see both sides — see what works for the teachers and what also works for the district so both districts could stay in a good financial setting, but also compensate teachers and well enough you are able to keep quality people at both districts.”
After two failed bond attempts in the last three years, the Hays school board has been discussing attempting a third bond to address some of its many facility needs.
Gower said he did not have any experience with bonds as a superintendent.
“You have to be visible in the community and get input from stakeholders and teachers and staff as well,” he said. “Look at what has and hasn’t worked. The last two haven’t, so what can we do differently? Back to the teacher negotiations, if we can find common ground somewhere, we can get enough people to support it.”
Gower said he did not think the latest $29 million plan that would include HVAC improvements at the HHS, an expanded cafeteria at HMS and an expansion at Roosevelt Elementary School went far enough to address the district’s facility needs. However, he acknowledged that may be what the district is able to pass.
“That would be my job,” he said, “to try and unify the voters, the parents, the stakeholders, the board and get everybody behind the bond, but I also understand you don’t just keep beating your head against the wall and doing the same thing. If the other two didn’t pass, then you do have to adjust and look at something different.”
He said even with a 10-year plan, the district is going to have a group of students that will make it all the way through school before they see more improvements in facilities. He also noted construction costs are only going to increase with the passage of time.
He said he supported the development of a long-range facilities plan.
The Hays school board also has had some high-profile votes recently that have been split, most notably the votes to purchase the Oak Park Medical Complex that will be renovated for use by Early Childhood Connections.
Gower said he will try to educate the board on the facts, but in the end, every board member has their own vote.
“Really the voters need to speak,” he said. “If the voters think board members are against whatever the case may be — these board members are against the bond or these board members aren’t supportive — then those voters need to get out and support board candidates they do think will support what they want.”
Four Hays school board seats are up for election in November. They include the seats held by Luke Oborny, who has filed for re-election, Mandy Fox, Greg Schwartz and Paul Adams.
Although his districts are different in size compared to the Hays district, he said he thought the districts were much the same, but with different faces.
He noted the Hays district is working on student social and emotional development as part of the KESA accreditation process, just as Logan and Phillipsburg are.
Phillipsburg High School has initiated a Passion Project in response to KESA requirements. Students are periodically paired with staff members at PHS, including classified staff, such as maintenance or custodial workers. The students are split into groups and learn skills from the adults. It could be how to fix a car, how to bake a cake or how to play a guitar.
“You might identify better with a custodian than you do with a teacher,” he said. “It just builds relationships throughout the school building. …
“It is all about relationships. All of that stuff we are talking about is a fancy way of say build relationships. I believe in the three Rs — relationships, relationships, relationships.”