LEXINGTON — During a special meeting Wednesday, the Lexington School Board held three interviews with potential superintendents.
After the interviews with the board and outside interview groups, the board voted unanimously to negotiate with John Whetzal for the position.
Whetzal is currently the superintendent for Superior Public Schools and has served in that role since 2023.
He has over eight years of superintendent experience and 28 years in education.
Whetzal was a K-12 building administrator in Centralia, Kansas, from August 2005 to May 2015.
In Belleville, Kansas, at Republic County Public Schools, he was a high school science teacher and head varsity football coach for five years.
From August 1996 to May 1999, Whetzal was a general science teacher at Central Junior High in Lawton, Oklahoma.
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Whetzal graduated from Cameron University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a natural science-chemistry concentration.
In July 2003, Whetzal graduated from Kansas State University with a Master of Science in educational leadership and administration.
He graduated in July 2024 from Pittsburg State University with an education specialist degree in educational leadership.
The board also interviewed Barry McFarland and Joel Ruybalid.
McFarland is the Sandoz Elementary building administrator.
He graduated in 2011 from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with an educational specialist degree in education administration with a PK-12 superintendent endorsement.
In 2004, McFarland graduated from UNK with a Master of Arts degree in education administration with a PK-6 principal endorsement.
McFarland graduated in 2000 from UNK with a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a minor in music education with K-6 endorsements.
Ruybalid has been superintendent of Blue Hill Community Schools in Blue Hill since 2010.
At Blue Hill, he was the elementary building administrator from 2010-15.
Before that, he was the junior and senior high school building administrator at Mullen.
From 2001-02, Ruybalid was the assistant headmaster for academic affairs at Trinity Academy in Wichita, Kansas.
Ruybalid graduated from UNK in 2009 with an educational specialist degree in school district administration and a PK-12 endorsement.
In 2001, he graduated from Kansas State University with a Master of Science degree in educational administration and leadership with building-level principal endorsement.
He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in exercise and sports studies with a teacher certification for K-12 physical education and 9-12 psychology.
The Board of Education will vote on Whetzal's superintendent contract at an upcoming board meeting.
