CALLAWAY – Courtesy / Ellen Mortensen with the Callaway Courier
On Thursday, Jan. 25, the Board of Education officially agreed to terms to make J.D. Furrow the next superintendent of Callaway Public Schools.
According to school board president Mike Reiff, Furrow has agreed to a 2-year contract with a salary of $137,000 for year one.
“We interviewed three quality and qualified candidates, with many years of experience in education. We were fortunate to have that as there haven’t been many applying for open positions around the state,” said Callaway Board of Education President Mike Rieff.
Furrow, who currently serves as the Superintendent/ Principal of Sandhills Public Schools, was one of three candidates interviewed for the position on Jan. 15. In explaining to the board why he was interested in the Callaway superintendent job, Furrow began by sharing that he has always had a great deal of respect for this district.
“It wasn’t a hard sell for me to be interested,” he said. He shared that his wife was excited about becoming a part of the Callaway community as well. “It’s as much about having an infatuation with the community as it is with the school,” Furrow added.
“I feel that we were lucky to have Mr. Furrow apply for the position as he is an experienced superintendent, is from the area, and said he was looking forward to moving to Callaway,” Reiff added. “I personally look forward to working with him during the transition and into the 2024-2025 school year.”
In his role at Sandhills, Furrow said he has worked closely with Bryon Hanson, current superintendent, quite a bit over the last five years and has become pretty familiar with the inner workings of the district. He is also looking forward to focusing on just the area
of superintendency, rather than splitting his time as a principal.
In his interview, Furrow discussed some key points pertinent to most schools but specific to CPS. The first of those points is the issue he believes may be the single most important facing this school district, which he cited as “creating and maintaining a positive and productive relationship with our community.”
“I think the day is gone of us thinking of a school as being confined by the bricks. We have to be able to use our entire community to educate our kids,” Furrow shared. “I just think it is super important that we marry the community with the school in every way that
we possibly can. Maximizing student impact takes more than just the teachers in the building.”
Furrow said it will be key in the coming years to address the shortage of human capital by growing the next generation of Callaway and creating pride that will have a lasting impact on parents, students, and teachers.
“I just think it is so important to create that tight bond between the school and the community. It has become so common these days when a parent walks through the doors of the school to think that it is one against the other. But we all have the same goal. We
all want what is best for the kids,” Furrow shared.
He addressed the teacher shortage that is being felt everywhere and shared his belief that creating a school that the community is proud of is the key to recruiting and keeping quality educators who want to be here.
As far as what he, personally, can do in the position of superintendent to help make that happen, Furrow said the first thing is to be involved in the community.
“People don’t feel comfortable coming into your office to talk to you about your school. If they do, they have a problem – that’s why they are there. But if you’re out and about and around people, you are a voice for the school in all those different places,” he explained. “And probably more important than being a voice in those places is being a set of ears.”
Furrow said having the staff involved in the community is also important, and something he plans to strongly encourage.
Career and technical education programs (CTE) are high on Furrow’s list of priorities, and incorporating community resources to improve those programs is part of his plan. “We have to get our kids exposed,” he said. “It is so important that we take into account what student we are trying to build.”
While getting the community more involved is an element that is important to Furrow, he also believes strongly in implementing professional development among the school staff that aligns with the goals of the board, the district, and the community.
“My goal should always be that the community should take responsibility for and pride in the success that our school is,” said Furrow. “It’s not just the teachers or administration. Everybody should feel proud of the impact that they have on the school.”
Furrow and his wife, Christi, currently live in Merna and will begin looking for a
home to relocate to Callaway. He will begin his duties as Callaway superintendent
on July 1.
