When Dr. Glenn Fortmayer accepted the position to be Superintendent of Schools for USD 247 Southeast he had said he would be leaving the district when his son graduated from high school.  His son graduates this May and now it appears the USD 247 Southeast Board of Education has Dr. Fortmayer’s successor.  Brad Miner accepted the position pending release from his current contract as a principal with the Chanute school district.

Mr. Miner grew up in the Baxter Springs, Kansas area and attended school in the Riverton School District.

“I can remember running around the track at Southeast when I was in high school,” he said.

Mr. Miner went to Pittsburg State University and has been a teacher, an assistant principal, and is now the principal at Royster Middle School in Chanute.

“I have over 20 years of experience in school administration as a building principal and have been very fortunate to have worked for several superintendents that have been great mentors for me as I prepared to make the transition,” Mr. Miner said.  “These superintendents and other contacts I have made over the years will certainly continue to be good resources for me as I transition into the role of superintendent.  The support I will need the most to start with is understanding, and patience, as I learn a lot of new names and positions associated with those names.  The staff and many community members have already been very welcoming toward me and my wife.”

With state cuts looming and enrollment declining as families continue to move away from rural areas, Mr. Miner knows he will have to hit the ground running when he takes over in July.

“First, I will need to study the reasons for the decline in enrollment and review efforts already made in this area by the current administration and the board.  I would then like to work with the board to develop a plan of action to address this – promoting the great things the Southeast School District has to offer for students and what makes Southeast unique will certainly be important.”

Part of what makes the district unique and attracted Mr. Miner to Southeast is the district’s commitment to K-12 STEM education, an initiative that began under Dr. Fortmayer and one that Mr. Miner hopes to build on.  Miner is a former industrial arts and technical education teacher.  He also helped write curriculum for PITSCO-Synergistic Systems in the early 90’s.

“This is an area of great interest to me and I look forward to catching up on where the district is with this initiative and then provide my expertise in helping them move forward to provide the best possible education we can for our students.”

The closure of the McCune Elementary School last summer reopened old wounds from when the high school was closed there.  Some community members are hoping a new superintendent with an outside perspective can help start that healing process and take steps towards bringing together the four communities that make up the USD 247 territory.

“This is a situation that requires a lot of respect and understanding,” Mr. Miner said.  “I would like for us to honor all of our communities by supporting them in any way that we can.  Moving forward is important and I would like to create an atmosphere in our district that together we are one, and help all communities come together as one to create an exceptional educational experience for our students.  It will take time and support as this healing process continues.”

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