By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The second of four candidates for the Hays USD 489 superintendent position spent the day Wednesday meeting with staff and community members before a formal interview with the Board of Education.
Brad Rahe, currently serves as the superintendent at Mulvane USD 463. He has been in that position since 2009.
During his time at Mulvane, the district passed a bond issue, and said he felt facilities throughout the Hays district was one of its biggest challenges.
“The facilities are old, and any time you have facilities like this, they get a little tired,” Rahe said.
But during his tour of the district, he said he was impressed with what was going on inside the building academically.
“A lot of folks, they never see the inside of a school building. They see the outside,” he said. “When you go on the outsides of these buildings and look at them, they’re gorgeous.”
But he warned there is more to a school than what you see when you drive by.
“Trying to do a bond issue and that’s all people are seeing, so their first comment is, ‘Well, we don’t need all this, because look at it.’ ”
Proper maintenance and cleaning, he said, also plays a big part of the perception of why the district building might be seen as in better shape than they really are.
“When you go around these buildings though, they’re so clean and the staff at times probably do too good a job,” Rahe said. “You walk in these buildings, they’re clean, they’re not dirty, the floors are waxed.”
He said his experience with passing a bond issue would be beneficial to Hays, after working with the Mulvane community to establish a relationship built on trust that ultimately led to a successful bond issue.
After the first failed bond, Rahe said the district sought input on what the community would be supportive of and found success in proceeding with community input.
“We have a lot of trust, and we have worked hard to build that trust,” he said.
However, trust seemed to be a concern for some after an incident involving Rahe’s son in Mulvane, after the district remained quiet during an investigation of Kenneth Riley Rahe, who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in Sedgwick County District Court last year.
It was reported at the time that dozens of parents were concerned about a perceived lack of cooperation from the district, and Mulvane Police Chief Dave Williams told media at the time he felt part of the reason for a lack of cooperation by the district during the investigation was the relationship of the student to school administration.
Rahe said the district since has worked to improve information delivery to the community.
“One of our goals that we are working within Mulvane is communication,” he said, noting utilization of social media, weekly newsletters to teachers and frequent visits with community members.
“It’s been one of the things we have been addressing,” he said.
Overall, Rahe said he has desired to return to Hays over the years, having graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and Supervision in 1987.
“That’s one of the reasons I am wanting to come here. I always had great experiences with Hays,” Rahe said.
“I always said if you’re going to do a postcard and you wanted the picture of what a town in Kansas, small rural town in America should look like, it’s Hays.”
And at least for now, he said he would not change a thing at USD 489.
“You don’t come in and change everything, but you come in and you listen, you talk to people, you see the strengths, you see the weaknesses, then you start,” Rahe said.
“I don’t like to talk, but I really love to listen. That’s how you impact change.”
The next candidate for the superintendent position will interview Monday, with a public meet and greet again scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th.