By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
It was one of two events Thursday evening for new Hays USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen as he introduced himself to Hays city commissioners at the invitation of Mayor Eber Phelps.
“I’ve never been to so many meetings in just five weeks,” Thissen quipped as he spoke during the citizen comments portion of the meeting.
“Hays has been very welcoming and it’s been a very easy transition,” he said. Thissen’s contract started July 1.
Thissen came to Hays from Herrington USD 487, where he had served as superintendent since 2007. Thissen replaced Dean Katt who resigned at the end of June to move to Independence, Mo., to work in the school district’s human resources department.
“From my nine years experience at Herrington, I come here and kind of have it in mind that a school district has to end up working with the city in so many different ways,” Thissen said to the Hays city commissioners.
In fact, in Herrington it was so easy, Thissen explained, “we ended up co-habiting the building. Half of the building was the city office and half of the building was the school district office…I had many meetings with the city manager.”
He talked about “the understanding and how it all really worked together” between the city of Herrington, the schools, the medical community, service organizations and businesses.
“I know it’s a small community,” Thissen acknowledged, “and it may have been a lot easier in some ways with it being simpler, but at the same time it just seemed that’s the way you did it.
“Coming here to Hays, I’m trying to learn the connections and establishing those lines of communication.”
Thissen said he was “very excited to be a part of the Hays community.”
“I’m doing all I can to end up making sure the community is a healthy, vital community. I do know the base of that is having leaders who have integrity and have a vision for the future of the community, with the people being the full purpose of what our work is all about,” Thissen said.
“The combined efforts is what’s going to do that. I know that’s a little more complicated than putting up walls around the various organizations, but that doesn’t work very well. It’s a necessity to end up working together and communicating,” he concluded.
Thissen also told the commission he has an upcoming meeting with City Manager Toby Dougherty and he hoped it will be come a regularly scheduled talk.
The commissioners liked that idea and thanked Thissen for coming to their meeting.
“It means a great deal,” said Commissioner Henry Schwaller. “In December, I asked that we meet with your body–the school board–and the county commissioners on a regular basis…but nothing has come of it.
“I believe you’re right,” Schwaller continued. “There’s a lot of things we do well if we do them together. We get a lot more accomplished. I extend that offer to the school board again (and to Ellis County.”)
Thissen nodded his head in agreement as Schwaller spoke.
“I don’t come here with any ideas of what’s changing,” Thissen replied. “It’s a matter of understanding what is here and gather information from many different people, and then working from that to say maybe a year from now, I have an idea of what is really of interest to change, or really focus on.”
He talked again about the variety of meetings he’s had since moving to Hays, including a tour of First Care Clinic. “What’s been built up there is fantastic for this community. I’ve also been invited to go to LINK (Living Independently in Northwest Kansas.) There’s just so many connections that are so good for the community.”
“Hays is really a vibrant community,” Thissen added.