WHEATLAND – PCSD No. 1 school superintended Cory Dziowgo resigned from his position as school superintendent last week.

At an abbreviated Noon hour school board meeting April 18, the WHS school board voted unanimously to accept Dziowgo’s resignation. The meeting which convened in the council room at the Platte County district office began at approximately 12 p.m. After a reading by the board examining the procedure for accepting the resignation, the board went into Executive Session for discussion.

Upon reentering the room, the board voted to accept the resignation put forth by Dziowgo and the vote was unanimous to accept.

an abbreviated Noon hour school board meeting April 18 the WHS school board voted unanimously to accept Dziowgo’s resignation.

“Unfortunately, I don't have much for you at the moment...not a lot of solid facts anyway,” said Dustin Kafka, PCSD No. 1 school board president. “So the acceptance of the "resignation" instrument was the legal document that amends the Superintendent contract - reason for the special meeting and vote.  I believe the instrument stays confidential in the personnel file.  I don't have a physical letter of resignation as he is simply finishing his contract terms to June 30.” 

The board accepted the instrument as a mutually agreed upon document so that they have the legal standing to take the steps to fill an upcoming vacancy.

“In conversations with Wyoming School Boards Association (WSBA), there are several options available for filling such a vacancy,” Kafka said. “I have sent an email to the PCSD No. 1 board members outlining 3 recommended options/courses of action.  I have not received all the responses or thoughts back as of yet, so I am not sure which route we may pursue.”

Although time is of the essence, the board feels that they want to move forward quickly, but slow and deliberate. In doing so they hope to achieve the best solution possible for the district.  Superintendent searches are usually conducted between December and February, and hiring season is often late February into March.  The announcements often run for four weeks, and followed by a couple of weeks of selection processes, and then interviews can be scheduled.  The interview process is most often a 36-to-48-hour process for each candidate which will include touring the district, meeting with staff, community forums and formal interviews with the Board.

“Knowing this is the normal process, there are some options to explore and gather more details,” Kafka said. “The district could name an interim superintendent, which could be available from several sources (in-house/WSBA recommendation/other sources). The interim superintendent would allow for time for the district to prepare for the full-scale superintendent search process in December and be at the front of the line so to speak.”  

As Kafka mentioned, this is an option that is available, but no decision has been made as to approaching it.

“There are pros and cons to any action we will take and the board will analyze every possibility that surfaces,” Kafka said. “We are entering the  beginning of the process, and a lot more details are to come as conversations continue and the course of action becomes more focused.  I will say that the process of a superintendent search is going to drive some board development in the terms of strategic planning, Mission, Vision and "this" board deliberately defining its identity.”

"Platte 1 has been a great opportunity for me and my family," Dziowgo said. "I am Looking forward to the next chapter for my family. I have appreciated the community and district support during my time in the district."