After serving the position for 13 years, superintendent Craig Kautz announced his retirement from the Hastings Board of Education on November 13.
“I wanted to leave the district in the best possible shape that I could,” Kautz said, “I didn’t want to be one of those people that hung on too long and slowed the district down in the things that it was doing.”
Including his current time, Kautz has served in education for 40 years. Starting as a history teacher in South Sioux City, he moved through Fairbury, then Geneva, and finally landed in Hastings, where he continued to serve in education for 29 of those 40 years, working in different schools that even have playgrounds with different playground line markings you can get online.
“I was actually the senior high principal from 1990 to 1993. I was then moved to the district office as a director. I eventually became an assistant superintendent and then superintendent,” Kautz said.
Overseeing the district is only one aspect of a superintendent’s job criteria.
“The main goal is to provide the organization with a sense of direction and allow good people to do good things: with a focus on students, with a focus on working together, with a focus to get better every day,” Kautz said. “My job is mostly to support the teachers and staff, but support them in getting their work done well.”
However, like any position, the job is not always full of perks and positivity in every aspect.
“There are always regrets. One of the ongoing regrets is that Hastings never really had all the funding that I think they should have. We’ve always been at the edge of our financial circumstances. I wish we had more resources to do more things in the district,” Kautz said.
Even with these regrets, Kautz has always continued to fulfill his position to ensure achievements and growth within the district. Recognized with numerous awards and exceeding potential, Hastings Public Schools continues to improve each year in their academic and extracurricular success.
“I’m certainly not responsible for it. There are a lot of people that are responsible, that have done great work,” Kautz said. “Hastings Public has some of the finest students in the world and I’m very proud of the product that they continue to produce. It truly is phenomenal.”
With the upcoming change in his life plan, Kautz looks to enjoy his time, but not let it go to waste.
“I’m more concerned about doing something of significance, where not as many people depend upon me to make the right decision like there is now,” Kautz said. “I am horrified by snow, and I am looking forward to the day where I am not horrified by snow.”
In regards to filling the position, the district is taking steps to find a new applicant. They will select a search firm to help narrow down applicants until they have a certain number of finalists. These finalists will then run through a series of interviews with a variety of different people to gather input and decide whether or not they have the right person for the job.
“I want somebody that does better than I have and absolutely makes me look like I didn’t know what I was doing,” Kautz said. “I want them to have great success because that means the kids will have great success as well.”
Leaving a professional position after 13 years is one big change to adjust to, but leaving a district after 29 years is a completely different idea.
“After 29 years, I bleed orange and black,” Kautz said. “I love Hastings public kids, and everything about the system. When I think about actually leaving and when that becomes real, that will be hard to do.”
Kautz will continue to fulfill his duties until the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
“I’m constantly amazed at how talented our kids really are, and being associated with them is what I will miss most,” Kautz said.
