The former superintendent for Wichita Public Schools was selected as the 2018 Kansas Superintendent of the Year.
John Allison worked for the district for eight years before leaving in June to become the superintendent for Olathe Public Schools in northeast Kansas.
The Kansas School Superintendents’ Association (KSSA) selected Allison for the top honor based in part on his record of increasing student enrollment and the graduate rate at Wichita Public Schools.
KSSA called the graduation rate increase of 19.3 percent during Allison’s tenure “unprecedented.”
The organization selected Allison as one of three finalists because he focused on “empowering all students with the 21st century skills and knowledge necessary for success.”
The other finalists under consideration were Justin Henry, superintendent of the Goddard School District, and Glenn Suppes with Smoky Valley Public Schools.
Allison’s education career spans 30 years and includes work in three other Kansas districts as well as districts in Texas and Pennsylvania.
"As a Board of Education we are thrilled that Mr. Allison has been named Kansas Superintendent of the Year," Board President Brent McCune said. "He has impressed us with his unwavering commitment to student achievement, his professionalism, his track record of success in his previous districts and his vision for the Olathe Public Schools. This honor is well-deserved."
He will now be considered in the national superintendent competition.
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