John Allison Named the Next Superintendent of the Olathe Public Schools
From Olathe Public Schools
OLATHE, Kan. – In a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 19, the Olathe Board of Education named John Allison the next Superintendent of the Olathe Public Schools. Allison, currently the Superintendent of the Wichita Public Schools, will officially begin his duties in Olathe on July 1.
“It is my honor and privilege to be appointed Superintendent of the Olathe Public Schools,” Allison said. “Olathe is a community that takes great pride in their schools and strives to offer a worldclass education for each student. I look forward to working with the Board of Education, staff, students, parents and community to make sure our students are prepared for their future.”
Allison has worked in public education for the past 29 years and has served as Superintendent in the Wichita Public Schools since 2009. Prior to becoming superintendent for the Wichita Public Schools, Allison served for two years as superintendent of the Mt. Lebanon School District in Pennsylvania. His educational career also includes service as deputy superintendent of the Grapevine-Colleyville School District in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, associate superintendent for education services for the Shawnee Mission School District, and as a middle school and high school building administrator. He began his teaching career in Spring Hill as a high school social studies teacher and coach. His experience includes service in rural, urban, and suburban school districts.
“We, as a Board of Education, are thrilled to have John Allison as our next superintendent,” Board President Rick Schier said. “In our search for the next leader of the Olathe Public Schools, we were looking for an individual who has a student-first philosophy, has the strong leadership skills to work in a large school district, has excellent people skills, is a strong communicator and has an ability to work well with elected officials. We feel John Allison possesses every one of the qualities and skills we were looking for. He brings great experience, and a strong educational background. We are confident he will be an outstanding leader for our students, staff, parents and community.”
Allison obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas, and his Masters of Science from Emporia State University. He has completed doctoral course work in Education Leadership at St. Louis University and Southwestern College.
Active in civic and community leadership during his career, Allison is a member of the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He helped develop the Business Education Innovation Partnership between the district and the chamber, allowing partners in the business community to evaluate different business areas of the district to find efficiencies and to share ideas about best practices. This initiative led to the formation of the chamber’s Business and Education Alliance, a critical effort to advance business and workforce issues in the region. He is also on the United Way of the Plains Board of Directors and is a board member of the Kansas/Missouri Superintendents Forum.
John and his wife Ramie, who began her teaching career at Olathe’s Countryside Elementary, have two children. Their son, Cade, attended Pleasant Ridge Elementary, is a University of Kansas graduate and resides in Dallas. Their daughter, Cooper, is currently attending Kansas State University. The family is excited about the opportunity to return to the Olathe community.