The USD 490 Board of Education approved Phillip Bressler as the new Executive Director of Fiscal and Human Resources during their board meeting on April 29, 2024. Bressler will be taking over for Kathy Robertson, who is retiring from the position, on July 1, 2024. Kathy plans to remain part-time until October to help with the transition.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Kansas State University, Bressler taught math for four years before taking a year to try out the private sector as a Lending Officer for Educational Credit Union.
His passion was with students, so he returned to teaching math and coaching as he worked toward his Master of Science in Education Administration and Leadership at K-State.
After completing his Master’s Degree, Bressler accepted a position as an Assistant Principal at Haysville USD 261, where he remained for 11 years gaining experience in continuous improvement monitoring, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), crisis intervention, and negotiations. He also taught as an adjunct instructor at Baker University SPGS during that time, receiving an Outstanding Faculty Service Award in 2005.
After leaving Haysville in 2011, Bressler served as the high school principal at Paola for six years, establishing tiered interventions, initiating the school’s social media presence, and improving the graduation rate by increasing opportunities and reducing obstacles for students as they navigated high school.
From 2017 to 2019, Bressler was the high school principal at Pittsburg USD 250. During that time, he helped implement a technology team to train staff on integrating innovative tools into the classroom, planned an $18 million addition/renovation to the school, established an alternative school for at-risk students, and improved attendance rates.
Bressler says he is ready to make the shift from building-level leadership to the district level.
“I have invested my adult life to serving kids and their families,” Bressler said. “This position leans directly into my strengths and will allow me to leverage the experience I have gained to find opportunities to work with and for staff to create understanding, trust, and a common effort toward student success. It will be a new challenge, but one that I’m ready to embrace and become #PartOfThePride.”
Bressler will be coming to USD 490 from Sterling USD 376, where he has served as the Jr./Sr. high school principal since 2019. He has over 32 years of experience in public education, 24 as a building leader, and has been active in professional associations and community groups throughout his career.