A five-time superintendent has found a new home in a much bigger school system while two other sitting superintendents are preparing to relocate. Elsewhere, several other administrators are getting their first chance at leading a district.
Douglas Killian, who has been superintendent of Pflugerville ISD in Texas since 2017, was named Monday as the lone finalist to lead Cypress-Fairbanks ISD outside Houston. Killian, a U.S. military veteran, has also served as superintendent of Hutto ISD, Huffman ISD and Poteet ISD, racking up nearly 20 years of experience in the top spot in Texas districts.
A Texas Superintendent of the Year finalist in 2022, Killian spearheaded the passage of a $370 million bond package in Hutto ISD. “I believe in leading with honesty and integrity, setting high expectations, striving for continual growth and treating all students the same,” Killian said on Cypress-Fairbanks ISD’s website.
Among the other superintendents relocating is Christopher Moran, who will move from Whitehouse ISD to San Angelo ISD (both districts are in Texas). Moran, who has been an educator for 32 years, will replace Carl Dethloff, who is retiring at the end of December. Moran has also served as superintendent of Brownsboro ISD and as an administrator in Clear Creek ISD.
And in Pennsylvania, Superintendent Daniel T. Potutschnig has found a new home in the Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District, where he will take the helm in early 2024. Potutschnig has been superintendent of the Millersburg Area School District since July 2022.
He previously served as the administrative director of the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology for 11 years and as assistant director of the Huntingdon County Career and Technology Center.
First-time superintendents
Newton County Schools in Mississippi and Lee County Schools in North Carolina have both promoted their next superintendents from within. Newton County Schools chose Assistant Superintendent Brooke Sibley to take the helm on July 1, 2024, replacing Superintendent Tyler Hansford.
Prior to becoming assistant superintendent earlier this year, Sibley served the district as a director in various capacities, including in special education, talented and gifted, federal programs, curriculum, assessment, accreditation and accountability.
Lee County Schools picked interim superintendent Chris Dossenbach to become its next leader. Dossenbach, a Lee County native and graduate of the district, has also served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and high school principal.
Finally, the Penn Hills School District in Pennsylvania has chosen its next superintendent, John Mozzocio, who is currently the director of pupil services and special programs supervisor at the New Castle Area School District.
A handful of retirements
On the other end of the career ladder, a handful of superintendents announced their plans to retire:
- Todd Martin will retire from Yadkin County Schools in North Carolina on March 1, after serving as the district’s leader since 2013.
- Tom Moore‘s last day at Great Falls Public Schools in Montana will be June 28, 2024.
- Superintendent Charlotte Seals will leave Madison County Schools in Mississippi at the end of the school year after 35 years with the district.
