QCISD hires new assistant superintendent
Queen City Independent School District’s new superintendent says she’s anxious to get to work when students return to school in January.
Dr. Angela Gutsch was named lone finalist for the position following the school board’s Nov. 26 meeting.
She will officially sign a three-year contract on Dec. 19 and begin her duties on Jan. 6, 2014, when classes resume after the holiday break.
This will be Gutsch’s first job as a superintendent.
She comes to Queen City from the Uvalde, Texas, Consolidated Independent School District, where she has worked for the past two years as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Prior to Uvalde, she served two years as assistant superintendent at Pottsboro, Texas, Independent School District.
“I’m so excited. This is a dream come true for me,” Gutsch said.
Having completed her doctorate degree in educational leadership at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce in August, Gutsch said she believes Queen City is the perfect place for her to be at this time in her life.
“The district is the right size for me as a new superintendent. I hope I fit in and everyone is accepting,” she said. “The best part is that Queen City seems family oriented. The city limits signs say there are 1,610 people and I will have 1,200 kids at school, so it seems everyone has got kids in their household.”
Gutsch’s family will add to the town’s population as her husband will join her immediately and her daughter’s family won’t be far behind.
“We got a Realtor about 25 minutes after they called to say I got the job,” Gutsch said. “I intend to be a tax-paying citizen in Queen City.”
Her husband, Jason, is an executive for a medical device manufacturing company who travels considerably for his job.
Daughter Halley Palmer and her family, husband Nathan and toddler son Henry, who currently live in Uvalde, are making plans to move to the area, as well.
The Palmers are expecting their second child in the spring, Gutsch said.
The Gutsches’ son J.R. is a freshman engineering student at the University of Texas at Tyler, so the family’s move to East Texas is a blessing, she said.
At 43, Gutsch has spent more than half of her life, 23 years, as an educator and school administrator.
A native of Wichita, Kan., she earned a bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan. She received a master’s degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
She said for many years she taught kindergarten and first grade, as well as second, fourth and eighth grades. For the past decade she has worked as an instructional coach, curriculum director, campus administrator, federal program director and student service director prior to becoming an assistant superintendent.
During the interview process with QCISD trustees, Gutsch said they asked what motivates her.
“I said it is kids. Kids motivate me. That’s why I’m in this business. It’s fun to watch them learn and achieve,” she said.
She adds she is anxious to get to East Texas to meet her new students and their parents, and she plans to be active in the community.
“I would like to thank board members for their support and gracious hospitality during the interview process. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve in a such a family oriented community,” Gutsch said.