Moundridge’s Chad Higgins is new Maize schools superintendent (VIDEO)

Maize school district leaders on Tuesday named Chad Higgins as the district’s new superintendent.

Higgins, 43, is superintendent of Moundridge schools, a district of about 400 students north of Wichita in McPherson County.

The Maize school board unanimously approved a two-year contract with Higgins during a special meeting at district headquarters Tuesday morning.

Higgins’ salary will be $165,000 a year, according to the contract. He also will receive a $500-a-month vehicle allowance and a cellphone allowance of up to $70 a month. He will start July 1.

Shortly after the vote, Higgins thanked the board and called his new post “a personal and professional dream come true.”

“You look down the road and see certain school districts, certain communities that you want to end up in someday, and this was truly at the top of the list,” Higgins said.

“I’m really anxious to spend the rest of my career here,” he added. “I’ve not made that a secret. I have full intentions for settling in and staying.”

Higgins, who has served in Moundridge since 2009, is a graduate of Emporia State and Fort Hays State universities and is pursuing his doctorate in education from Wichita State University. He previously worked as principal, assistant principal and activities director at Douglass High School.

Wendi White, Maize school board president, said the board made its decision Thursday after interviewing Higgins, the last of four finalists for the job.

“It was just finding the right fit, and Chad was the right fit,” White said. “I believe he’s a very humble leader, and the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here long-term was thrilling for us. So we’re just very happy.”

Higgins will replace Doug Powers, who has led the Maize district since 2009. In July, Powers will move to the Turner school district in Kansas City, Kan., where he will serve as assistant superintendent for business and public relations.

Powers’ current annual salary is $175,000.

Maize, a district of about 7,000 students, includes much of west Wichita. Recently the district has grappled with several major issues, including whether to establish attendance boundaries or a feeder system for assigning students to schools.

In November, FBI officials executed a search warrant at Maize school district headquarters as part of an ongoing investigation.

In coming weeks Maize voters will vote by mail on two bond issues totaling $83.5 million. The first, for $70.7 million, will include an expansion of Maize Middle School, a storm shelter at Maize High, nearly $14 million in athletic upgrades and other projects. The second ballot question will ask voters whether the district should build a $12.8 million pool and natatorium complex.

White, the board president, said Higgins’ experience at the helm of a smaller, Class 2A district was not a concern for Maize leaders.

“He has the desire and he has the drive,” she said Tuesday. “He’s dealt with bond issues. He’s dealt with parent groups. He’s dealt with a lot of things we’re going through now, except maybe the boundary issue, so we don’t have any concerns about that at all.”

Higgins said budget issues and state funding probably will be top priorities as he steps into the top post in Maize.

“I think all districts across the state have budget challenges and (are) just trying to make some plans for what’s coming down the road,” he said. “These are some difficult times for everybody.”

Higgins said he plans to spend his first several months meeting people and getting to know the district.

“It’s going to be a significant change from what I’m used to” at the smaller Moundridge district, he said. In his current post, he personally supervises every function of his district, including transportation and curriculum. “I’m pushing carts of refreshments down to meetings,” he said, smiling.

“But the people are similar. It’s still passionate people about education and really wanting to do what’s best for kids.”

Higgins and his wife, Drenda, a second-grade teacher at Moundridge Elementary School, have two children: Taylor, 21, is a student at Emporia State; Garrett, 19, attends Kansas State University.

Chad Higgins’ Contract with USD 266 (PDF)

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Moundridge’s Chad Higgins is new Maize schools superintendent (VIDEO)."