PLT#3 District Superintendent Dr. John Petzke announced on Monday that he has submitted his resignation. Petzke is currently completing his first year as district leader.
In a letter to district families Petzke said, “You have a unique and special community with much to be proud of. I am disappointed that my time here was so short — this was quite a surprise for me as well, but opportunity knocks when you least expect it.”
In an interview Petzke said he was made aware of an opening for a CFO in the Oswego School District by a collogue in mid-April, a district he had worked for previously. He said he filled out the application but never submitted it thinking, “I chose my challenges and I’m going to live with this decision.” He said about a week later the Oswego District reached out to him and asked if he would submit his application. In making his final decision Petzke added, “I have learned that I work better with larger teams and this is an opportunity for me to dive into that financial aspect of education, which I really love.” After receiving the blessing of his family Petzke submitted the application and was subsequently hired.
In the letter Petzke went on to say, “Please know that it is with heartfelt gratitude that I thank the Board, the administration, our amazing staff, and all of you for the tremendous opportunity here in Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD #3. You have a unique and special community with much to be proud of.”
Petzke says he has enjoyed his time here but believes he has a unique skill set that can be utilized in helping the Oswego District financially.
When asked if he would be leaving without the exact scenario that presented itself, he said “absolutely not”. He added “If the job wasn’t so close to home, if it wasn’t a community I know, and if I didn’t feel I have some unique insights to the Oswego District, I would not be leaving.”
Petzke said writing his departure email to the district was extremely difficult. “I’m not a person that doesn’t finish what he starts and I feel like we started this but didn’t quite finish it. People have been very open and trusting and accepting but I also feel that we didn’t really get into the regular business of school, we got into the pandemic of school.”
Petzke was extremely complementary of the community’s involvement during the pandemic school year in completing surveys and providing feedback to help guide the district.
School board president Kim Purvis said that unfortunately for the district the resignation comes at very bad time in terms of hiring someone for next year as most superintendent jobs are filled in the early part of the calendar year. “We are going to post the position but at this late date we are leaning toward an interim.” Purvis hopes the district still has a chance to find a good pool of candidates before the posting of the position closes on June 1, but they will also be looking for qualified interim candidates as well.
2 Responses
How did we lose 3 administrators in 3 months in our school district – with 2 of them being PHS alum? By my count, that is 4 superintendents and 6 high school principals in 10 years at PLT3. What is going on?!?
What is the common denominator, Tom? We have board members who want what they want and they set up superintendents to look dumb in meetings. The worst part is it will continue just as it has because no one challenged any of these board members on the ballot. If you were a teacher or an administrator would you want to work for PLT? It’s toxic and that starts at the top.