{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Little Wins","title":"Start and End Together: Superintendent Jamie Rumford on Trust and Culture in Scott County","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2061,"description":"In this episode, host Karen Borchert heads to western Kansas to talk with Superintendent Jamie Rumford of USD 466 Scott County Schools, where 4,000 people, 6,000 county residents, and more than 20,000 head of cattle define truly rural school life.\nJamie has spent 30+ years in education and more than a decade as a superintendent, centering his leadership on trust, transparency, autonomy, and taking care of people. When he arrived in Scott City in 2014, the district was coming out of a serious budget crisis and had just cut salaries by 2%.\nWhat followed was a long, thoughtful process of rebuilding: simple budget “dashboards,” honest updates, reorganizing leadership roles to give principals smaller spans of control, and eventually paying back that 2% in a surprise “13th check.” Along the way, Jamie and his team built traditions like districtwide state send-offs and handwritten birthday cards for every staff member that knit together a culture he describes as connected, loyal, and motivated.\n💡 Little Wins in This Episode:Start and End Together: Why USD 466 now always kicks off and closes the year with the whole staff in one room.\nReal Transparency: How a simple budget comparison and regular updates calmed fears after pay cuts.\nThe 13th Check: Returning the 2% reduction in a single end-of-year payment and what it signaled to staff.\nDesigning for Autonomy: Restructuring buildings, principals’ roles, and a 6–12 activities director to shrink workloads and sharpen focus.\nPresence Without Micromanaging: Visiting every building weekly, staying in hallways, and letting principals lead instruction.\nBirthday Cards & Send-Offs: Handwritten notes and whole-district state send-offs that build connection from PreK to 12.\nKey Moments\n\n02:16 Western Kansas roots and choosing rural life for his family\n03:19 Jamie’s father, the lifelong “educator,” and what real reward means\n05:14 Stepping into USD 466 during a budget crisis and 2% salary cuts\n08:27 Practicing transparency with a...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/3MAppP9ieU1pRh-q8xrCvhiFtlkYsqh64Ioo6m8axZY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hOWFl/NDIzZDQ4NDc0M2Uy/ZDRhNzBlYzcyOGY1/ZGNjMi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}