Superintendent Doug Powers said Thursday that he has submitted his letter of resignation to the board of education.

Powers told staff in an email that his resignation is effective June 30. The board will consider the resignation Monday during its regular meeting, he said in the email.

Powers has been with the Maize district since 2009. He joined Maize after serving as superintendent in Marysville.

Maize students and staff responded to the announcement with a mixture of surprise and warm wishes.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see him leave, and it’s going to be interesting to see who fills his spot,” said senior Corey Wilson.

“I really enjoyed Doug and I thought he did a nice job in our district,” said English teacher Jana Schantz. “He was an advocate for teachers, and I appreciated that. It’s kind of shocking.”

Maize principal Chris Botts was shocked by the announcement, saying that he and Powers had a good relationship.

“He gave me an opportunity here at Maize High School that maybe a lot of superintendents wouldn’t have,” said Botts. “He saw something in me, and I will forever be grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to be at Maize High School.”

Botts said the school board will have to work diligently to find a strong candidate to fill Powers’ position.

“Hiring a superintendent is kind of a long process. The school board is going to have their hands full finding somebody good to lead our district. Good superintendents don’t just grow on trees, and so they’re going to have to put the time in to research individuals who would be the best fit for Maize. Maize has different needs than a lot of school districts right now, and so I think they’ll want to find somebody who they feel can lead Maize well.”

Powers said he has taken a job elsewhere but did not disclose the new position. Attempts to reach Powers for an interview were unsuccessful.

The email is below:

Superintendent Doug Powers on Thursday announced that he has submitted his resignation effective June 30. The Maize Board of Education will consider his resignation during its next regular meeting on Monday.

Powers said that he plans to continue his career in Kansas public education in a leadership position in another district. He joined Maize Schools in 2009 after working for districts in El Dorado, De Soto and Marysville.

Powers said he has enjoyed his time at Maize USD 266 and has been inspired by the talented and passionate team of educators and employees. He assured the Maize Schools community that work on student placement, facilities needs and other initiatives to carry out the district’s vision to connect, learn and lead will continue under his leadership through June and under his fellow administrators and ultimately Maize’s new superintendent.

Board members will arrange details about the process and timeline for hiring the new superintendent.