John William Kaufman was unanimously voted as the lone superintendent candidate for Mount Vernon schools by the Board of Trustees on Monday, Nov. 9. His contract signing date has been set as Tuesday, Dec. 1.
“My family and I are excited about coming to Mount Vernon,” Mr. Kaufman said. “Through every step of the interview process I received many positive signs that this is where we were supposed to be.”
Mr. Kaufman is currently the superintendent at Muenster ISD. He has served there for two years. It is a 1A school with 529 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. There are 86 employees with 52 in teaching positions. The district was rated as Exemplary by the Texas Education Agency for the 2008-2009 school year.
“The teachers deserve the credit for the rating. They are the ones who did all the work,” he said.
Mr. Kaufman was born in Philadelphia, Pa. Aug. 15, 1960 and graduated from Sharon Hills High School there in 1978. He joined the U. S. Air Force in August 1978.
Mr. Kaufman’s first assignment was at Sheppard Air Force base in Wichita Falls, Tex. Which is where he met his wife, Susie, at a church service. Her father conducted their marriage ceremony at Trinity Baptist Church in Wichita Falls in Nov. 1982.
He then to served at Florence Air Base, a small nuclear base, in Belgium and then at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. He served in administrative capacities at each of these locations and accepted early retirement in 1993.
“I knew I wanted to get into the education field and was glad to accept early retirement when it was offered,” Mr. Kaufman said.
Mr. Kaufman completed his undergraduate work at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Tex. in 1985. He received his masters degree in educational administration and his principal certification from Tarleton State University in Stephenville in 1998, and earned his superintendent certification from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls in 2005.
His first teaching position was at Gustine ISD, near Comanche, where taught sixth grade math, science social studies, elementary physical education and coached junior high and junior varsity athletics for five years. He served as assistant junior high principal at Perryton ISD for two years and then high school/junior high principal at Booker ISD for three years.
In 2003, he accepted the position of high school principal for Seymour ISD, a 2A school, where he served until July 2007.
The Kaufman’s have two children, Luke, age 16, is currently a high school sophomore, and Harrison, age seven, is in the second grade. The family plans on relocating during the Christmas holiday break.
