Submitted
 William Orth will be moving to town to be the new superintendent of schools in Osage City.

Rosie Blacketer | Herald-Chronicle

USD 420 announced this week the employment of William Orth as the new superintendent of schools. He has been offered a two-year contract beginning July 1. He is employed by USD 387 Altoona-Midway near Chanute and was released from his current contract to take the position in Osage City.

“We are so excited about moving to the Osage City area,” Orth said Tuesday. “We just can’t wait.”

Prior to applying for the position, Orth and his wife, Carol, drove through the community, looked around, and visited with residents.

“We were impressed with all the positive, friendly and wonderful people that live in the Osage City community,” he said. “They made us feel so welcomed.”

Besides the feeling of hospitality, the proximity to family was also a part of the decision to make the move to Osage City. They have two sons, Chad and wife, Kami and their children, Hannah and Sadey, who live in Louisburg; and Jarod who is engaged, and living in Topeka. William’s parents live in Junction City.

“We love the idea of moving to Osage City and we are so happy to be able to live closer to our family,” Carol Orth said. “This helped us want to take advantage of the Osage City job to be able to be closer to family, because family is very important to us.”

William Orth has a wide educational background. He attended Kansas State University and majored in music performance; Marymount University, were he earned a bachelors degree in music education; Wichita State University where he studied music administration; and Fort Hays State, were he earned a masters in school administration. He also has college hours from University of Kansas, Emporia State University, and Pittsburg State University.

“The board interviewed several highly qualified candidates and we selected one we thought best fit the needs of USD 420,” board member Pat Bean said. “We welcome Mr. Orth to our community and look forward to working with him.”

“Last week the board interviewed candidates for the superintendent’s position. We interviewed three very qualified candidates. After careful thought, we selected William Orth to fill the position,” Diane Kimball, president of the USD 420 Board of Education, said on the district’s web site. “We look forward to his relocation to our district.”