GUEST COLUMN, Dane Richardson, incoming USD 480 Superintendent
It is my honor to be named your Superintendent. I am an educator with 26 years of experience. I have worked at all campus levels performing different jobs, and I have a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to lead a school district. The knowledge gleaned from my current and previous superintendent positions has allowed me to grow as a leader with valuable experience.
The departments I led worked directly with School Finance, PEIMS/Coding, Child Nutrition, Transportation, Curriculum Alignment, along with Leadership Coaching and Evaluation.
My educational philosophy as a superintendent or educational leader is centered around building a positive culture. Building relationships, good communication, developing a common vision, goal and purpose, setting high expectations, and establishing a growth mindset are the five most important characteristics to achieve this.
I am married to my wife of 32 years, Jamie Richardson, who is also an educator. Our son, Cooper Richardson, 24, is married to Grace Richardson and are the parents of our granddaughter Murphy Kate. They live in Canton, Texas. Our daughter, Erin Johnston, 28, is married to Nick Johnston and resides in Wichita.
My family and I became familiar with Liberal and the great community when my daughter, then Erin Richardson, played basketball for Seward County Community College. The people were always so friendly and welcomed all of us as if they knew us for years. I watched how the community embraced my daughter and helped her to grow into a great young woman and a great teacher. She was mentored by many people in your community, college, and school system when she also served as a student teacher at Cottonwood Elementary during the fall semester of 2019, and for that I say thank you.
I am excited to begin the journey as a Redskin. I am working hard to close out some major projects in my current district before arriving permanently, but I will be scheduling time to spend some days in the district to become familiar with the people, projects, and procedures. Looking forward to meeting you all, and as always, it’s a great day to be a REDSKIN!
