PAUL DORATHY
MARK DODGE
AN ENDURING LEGACY AND A NEW START Baldwin City schools honor retiring superintendent, welcome newcomer to the role
A
fter almost 16 years, Paul Dorathy is retiring as superintendent of Baldwin City schools and passing the baton to incoming hire Mark Dodge. Dorathy’s career in education spans almost 38 years. After first serving as a teacher in Emporia, Dorathy went on to serve in several principal and director positions across Kansas schools before taking his first superintendent position in Southern Lyon County in 1998. Dorathy served in that role for 8 years before becoming superintendent at Baldwin City, where he has been ever since. Dorathy’s passion for the position has been sustained by the people he’s worked with over the years in the community. “The students and the staff, I mean, that’s why I do this job in the first place … because my satisfaction comes when students are able to do well and get the kind of education that they would like to have,” he says.
Ande Parks first joined the board of education at about the same time Dorathy was hired. He notes that Dorathy became a very important presence in the district. “He immediately brought a calm and relatable sense of integrity to the district. He’s a very approachable man, he’s a very caring man, and we’ve been through a lot of difficult things together,” Parks says. “I think through it all, while members of our community might not agree with him or decisions the board makes, I think everyone knows that Paul’s heart is in the right place and that he’s really trying to do what is best for kids in this town.” After his retirement, Dorathy and his wife, Cyndi, plan to spend more time with their 11 grandchildren, as well as pursue a travel goal: they hope to visit every national park in the United States. “I’ve been very lucky to have been the superintendent in this community for this long,” Dorathy says. “I don’t think most
Baldwin City Living Magazine | 2022 Spring/Summer
PHOTOS COURTESY (FROM LEFT) Kalli Smith, Kayla Kohn
Story by Taylor Worden
