By John Koski
SLN Staff
At its Jan. 14 meeting. the Elkhorn Area School Board unanimously selected Jason Tadlock as its new district administrator.
Tadlock is set to begin July 2 and will replace current district administrator Greg Westcott, who will retire on June 29 after a 40-year career in public education, with the last 16 being in Elkhorn.
The board did not need to go far to find a new administrator. Tadlock is currently district administrator of Wheatland J1 School District, a short 25-minute drive from Elkhorn.
According to board president Susan Leibsle, the board received 12 applications for the position, interviewed four of those applicants and invited two of them back for a second interview.
Tadlock is married and he and his wife Beth have four children – two sons, ages 2 and 10, and two daughters, ages, 3 and 8. The Tadlocks are expecting their fifth child in early February.
Beth Tadlock works as an educational consultant and the family plans to relocate to the Elkhorn area.
“When the position opened,” Tadlock said, “I was approached by several people from Elkhorn, and or former employees of the Elkhorn school district and asked to apply for the position.
“It was a very difficult decision for me to apply for the position,” he said, “as I love my current position as superintendent of Wheatland J1 School District. I have a wonderful staff, a very supportive community, and an excellent board of education.
“I was attracted to the Elkhorn school district for many of the same reasons I enjoy my position in Wheatland,” he continued. “Elkhorn school district is known for having excellent community support.
“I have had the opportunity to work with the district as a consultant on two occasions and witness the quality and professionalism of your administrative team and teaching staff,” he aded. “The school board is also known for their stability and excellent leadership.
“The district’s focus on individual student growth and that every student deserves the best educational experience possible, aligns with my goals and philosophies.
“The Elkhorn position will allow me to work with a larger administrative team, thus allowing me to focus more on the superintendency.
“It would also afford me the opportunity to also be a part of an exceptional PK-12 district, He said. “As a former high school and middle school principal, I miss not having the opportunity to work with the high school level and the entire PK-12 continuum.”
Westcott noted that the last 16 years he has spent as Elkhorn’s district administrator were the best part of his career.
“I love this district and the people here,” he said. “I just thought that 40 years of working in public schools was enough.”
