Mr. Reyburn's contract has been finalized and he will begin in the district on February 1, 2023.
"Something I try to live by is 'work hard and treat people well.' I hope to lead by example. Be visible, treat people well, and hopefully that will translate into some good things." - Mr. Brad Reyburn
On December 14, the Kingsley Board of Education unanimously voted to hire Mr. Brad Reyburn as the new superintendent. He comes to the district with 11 years of administrative leadership experience, most recently serving as the principal of Newaygo High School.
Mr. Reyburn spent the first day back from winter break touring Kingsley's schools and meeting with administrators ahead of his official start date. Read on for a Q&A with Kingsley's incoming superintendent!
Q: Welcome to Kingsley Schools! How has your time been so far?
A: Everybody's been very warm and welcoming and everyone has been overwhelmingly positive. I think this transition period is a chapter people want to put behind them and everyone seems to be looking forward to what's next.
Q: What excites you most about becoming the new superintendent?
A: All of the new people, the new learning, and there's something kind of fun about getting to do a different job.
I've been a school principal for 11 years, and I've done all the levels. I felt like I was ready to take the next step in my career, and I wanted to do some new learning. I'm looking forward to that.
Q: What are your short- and long-term goals?
A: In my first 90 days, I'm going to try to get acclimated with the people, the students, and with the facilities in the community itself. I'm excited to find out what I don't know yet and figure out how I can get to know people and let them know who I am.
I really do want to be a servant leader, that person who's in the district who people can come to, and we can have a good conversation. I don't want to lead by edict, I want to have conversations about how I can support them and give them what they need.
In the long-term, I think there are facilities needs. We need to figure out, as a community, how we want to address and own that and move forward.
Q: What do you want the community to know about you?
A: That I'm really looking forward to working with the students and the staff to continue the success that's already happened at Kingsley, and to move the district forward. I want to take a look back with pride and look forward with hope.
Fun Facts about Mr. Reyburn
💚 Hometown: Greenville, Michigan
👨🎓 Education: Masters's degree in Educational Administration from Central Michigan University, a bachelor's degree in Group Science with an emphasis on Biology with a minor in Elementary Distribution from Grand Valley State University, and an associate's degree from Grand Rapids Community College.
👨👨👧👦 Family: "I have five kids, a 21-year-old son, a 19-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, a 14-year-old son, and a 9-year-old daughter. They will finish out the school year in Newaygo and then come to Kingsley Schools this fall. When they start, they'll be in fourth, ninth, and eleventh grade.
💍 I've known my wife since sixth grade, but we weren't high school sweethearts or anything. She thought I was annoying! A year and a half out of high school, we were both at a wedding, and we met back up and started dating, and soon enough, we got married ourselves. It'll be 24 years this October!"
☕ Fun Fact: Mr. Reyburn and his wife own a coffee shop and roastery! They own Timber Town Coffee Company in downtown Newaygo and also sell their products to several wholesale customers. His wife runs the shop while he roasts the beans in a barn on his property.
"I like drinking coffee. I'm a coffee snob. My favorite kind of coffee to drink is African coffee from Kenya. Coffee has different densities, different beans, sizes, and densities which affect how they roast," he said. "We will move the roasting company up here for sure. Once we're settled, we'll see what other avenues there are."
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Mr. Reyburn's contract has been finalized and will be available via a transparency report the week of January 9. Interim superintendent Jason Stowe will serve the district until Mr. Reyburn's first official day on February 1.
Say hi to Mr. Reyburn! Email breyburn@kingsleyschools.org
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