Rundle ending 40-year career at RV

Working in one school district for 40 years, Superintendent John Rundle has helped facilitate countless facility upgrades, curriculum changes and a one-to-one technology initiative.

But it’s not one upgrade or building project that Rundle cites as his biggest achievement at RV. 

“It’s not about that. I think if there’s one thing we’ve accomplished is we have built that family atmosphere, and we’ve done nothing but bring good people into this setting and we’ve been able to maintain it,” Rundle said. “We see a place where people come and work and think they are going to move on, and 10 years later they are still here. And they are doing great things. I love watching our students be successful, and I equally enjoy seeing our staff members succeed.”

Rundle is retiring at the end of the school year, spending his entire career at RV, starting as a middle school English teacher and ending as the superintendent of schools for the past 15 years. 

Rundle grew up on a dairy farm in Axtell.

“I knew as a young kid, sitting on a tractor going down rows of corn, that it wasn’t for me,” he said. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I did know that I needed to be around people.”

Rundle’s high school English teacher encouraged him to develop his writing skills.

“It seemed to be something I had a little bit of a knack for,” he said. 

He attended Kansas State University, earning an education degree in secondary English. Fresh out of college, Rundle sought a job in the Topeka area to be near his wife-to-be, Connie, who had just graduated from nursing school and was working at St. Francis Medical Center.

“I had never heard of Royal Valley and didn’t even know it existed,” he said. “I came here for what I thought might be a year and stayed for 40.” 

Rundle began his career at RV at the middle school, where he taught language arts for five years. During his first year, a fire started during the first hour of the day at the school in Mayetta.

“I had some students indicate that they thought something was going on in the hallway. I walked into the hallway and you could kind of see the gymnasium from there, and it was obvious that there was a fire,” Rundle said.

Not long after he began working for Royal Valley, Rundle went back to school himself and completed a master’s degree from Washburn University.

He served as the elementary school principal for eight years and then 12 years as curriculum director and assistant superintendent. He began serving as superintendent in August 2001. 

“I still think of myself as a middle school teacher,” he said. “I like that age level of student. They know a lot, but at the same time they’re still willing to be taught. They’re still inquisitive and still want to learn.”

Rundle said his time as an elementary school principal was extremely valuable in regards to his future as a superintendent. 

“It gave me a true understanding of the beginning stages of education,” he said. 

New career opportunities at Royal Valley, as well as a desire not to uproot his family, which includes two sons, kept Rundle at USD 337 through the years.

Throughout his 40-year career in education, Rundle said he’s seen many changes on how educators teach in Kansas.

“There’s a lot more accountability,” he said. “We measure learning and progress. We evaluate, we reassess and we re-teach. Those weren’t concepts that were taught when I started.”

Rundle said the district’s role in the community has remained unchanged.    

“Schools have always been a major part of what goes on within a community, and I think that is equally true today, particularly in this community,” Rundle said. “When I came here, Royal Valley was newly consolidated, and administrators and community members were really trying to figure out what it meant to not be a small 1A school district, and to be, at that time, a large 3A consolidated district. Fortunately the superintendent at that time, Fred Staker, was a really strong leader and he had a vision for making that happen. I watched him work that process. A lot of upgrades in buildings occurred both in his time and Superintendent Marceta Reilly’s time. We’ve tried to continue with those in the last 15 years as well.”

Divided among three distinct communities – Hoyt, Mayetta and the Prairie Band Potawatomi reservation – Royal Valley USD 337 has evolved through the years to become a unified home and family. 

“When I came, community members came together for school, but they functioned as separate communities. And there’s still some of that today, but our students come together as Royal Valley Panthers in kindergarten and continue throughout their school career,” Rundle said. “I think in the last 15 years, there’s been some unification of what I would call the three communities into a Royal Valley school community.”

Decreases in state funding in 2008 and 2009 required creative solutions by Rundle and staff, but Rundle said he never thought about retirement at that time. 

“This is my community. I hope that I was able to be a part of leading them through some tough financial times, but doing it in a manner that didn’t take away from the opportunities we have for kids,” he said. “Unfortunately in today’s political environment, the zip code of the student can limit the opportunities a student can have in their education. This school district, because of a low assessed valuation, requires equity in state aid, and we have a court case going on right now that says our Legislature has not funded us in an equitable manner, and I truly believe that is the case. So under those circumstances you need people to care and people that can make things work. And I’ve been fortunate because we have a tremendous staff here and a very strong group of administrators. They care about these kids, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to provide a good education to the students of this community.” 

In his retirement, he and Connie plan to spend more time with their adult sons and their families, which include three grandchildren. 

“I was blessed to step into the superintendent role at the time I did. My kids were out of school so it allowed me to put the time, energy and focus on other people’s children and the school district as a whole,” Rundle said. “It also was a good time for my wife and me. My wife is extremely understanding and supportive. She’s listened to a lot of groaning and complaining over the years, but she’s absolutely the best when it comes to being a superintendent’s wife because she gets it.”

 Former Royal Valley Middle School Principal Aaric Davis will begin serving as the district’s superintendent July 1.  

 “I believe the district will thrive,” Rundle said. “I’m very pleased to see Mr. Davis as the next superintendent. I know him and I know who he is and what he stands for. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to take this school district and do great things with it.”

An open house for Rundle has been set from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Royal Valley district office in Mayetta. District patrons and community members are invited to attend.