Shay Demlow Wants Eureka's Size to Be Its Strength

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Shay Demlow's case for Eureka^↗ does not start with a program or a plan. It starts with the interview.

"What drew me to Eureka was the strong sense of community and the genuine commitment to students that I saw throughout the interview process," Demlow said in a written response to The KSEdTribune. "It was clear that people here care deeply about their schools and understand the important role they play in the life of the community. I wanted to be part of a district where relationships matter and where there is a shared commitment to doing what's best for kids."

Demlow became superintendent of Eureka USD 389 on July 1, a transition she confirmed in a July written response. She succeeds Scott Hoyt, who retired at the end of the school year after a decade leading the district. The board announced her appointment in late January, giving the Greenwood County district a full semester to prepare for the handoff.

The district she now leads enrolls 523 students, which puts Eureka almost exactly in the middle of Kansas. The median district in the state enrolls 538, and 134 of the 285 districts that reported a headcount this year enroll fewer than 500. Eureka ranks 147 of 285 by size, close enough to the midpoint that whatever is true of the district is close to true of the typical Kansas school system.

Demlow argues that scale is an asset before it is a constraint.

"One of the greatest strengths of a district the size of USD 389 is that we truly know our students," she said. "Relationships are personal, communication is direct, and it's easier to work together as one team. That creates an environment where students are known, supported, and encouraged to reach their full potential."

She is equally direct about the other side of the ledger. "At the same time, smaller districts face unique challenges," she said. "We must be intentional with our resources, recruit and retain exceptional staff, and continually look for innovative ways to expand opportunities for students despite limited enrollment."

The enrollment numbers give that sentence weight. Eureka's headcount was 684 in 2014-15, stood at 601 by fall 2020, and is 523 in 2025-26, a decline of 161 students, or 23.5 percent, across the 11 available files. Statewide enrollment fell 4.4 percent over the same window. The sharpest single-year drop came in 2022-23, when 50 students left. The pace has eased since: 27 fewer students in 2024-25, and three fewer in 2025-26. The Kansas State Department of Education did not publish a district headcount file for 2019-20, so the years around the pandemic are read from the files that exist on either side.

That trajectory is the landscape Demlow inherits, and her stated approach to it starts with listening rather than restructuring.

"My first priority has been listening and learning," she said. "I've spent time meeting with staff, students, and board members, to better understand what makes USD 389 special and where we have opportunities to grow. I plan to expand my listening sessions to include families and community partners this fall. While every new leader brings fresh ideas, it's important to first honor the traditions and strengths that already exist."

Her resume runs through the kind of work that rarely produces superintendents, which is part of what makes the appointment notable. According to the district's announcement, Demlow most recently served as Executive Director of Special Education for the Gardner Edgerton^↗ school district in Johnson County, after a career as a classroom teacher, behavior specialist, building administrator, and district-level director across Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, and Colorado, including stops in Wichita^↗, Mulvane^↗, Winfield^↗, and the Doniphan County Education Cooperative. She holds elementary education and special education degrees from Ball State University and has supervised student teachers through Fort Hays State University.

She sees that background as central, not adjacent, to running a whole district.

"My background in special education and student services has taught me that every student has unique strengths, needs, and potential," Demlow said. "Special education requires educators to work closely with teachers, families, administrators, and community agencies to create solutions that help students succeed. That collaborative mindset extends well beyond special education—it's the foundation of effective district leadership."

The work is not abstract in Eureka. The district's 2024-25 special education child count recorded 103 students receiving services, up from 86 in 2015-16. And the district's families lean on its schools broadly: about seven in ten students, 69.4 percent, qualified for free or reduced-price lunch this year, up from 62.9 percent in 2014-15.

"As superintendent, I want every decision we make to reflect our commitment to serving all students," she said. "Whether we're discussing academics, career pathways, mental health supports, extracurricular opportunities, or school safety, the question should always be: 'How does this help students thrive?' When we focus on relationships, remove barriers, and provide meaningful opportunities, everyone benefits."

Demlow closed her answers with the phrase that doubles as the town's shorthand for its schools. "Together, we are building a strong future for every Tornado."

The first test of that partnership arrives quickly. Her listening sessions expand to families and community partners this fall, just as the district opens its first school year under her leadership. The headcount that will shape its budget conversations held nearly steady this year, three students below last fall, which buys Demlow something the previous decade did not give the district: a year in which the enrollment line is not the loudest thing in the room.

Enrollment, free and reduced-price lunch, and special education child count figures come from the Kansas State Department of Education files covering the 2014-15 through 2025-26 school years.

Correction: An earlier version described the comparison as spanning twelve published files. Kansas did not publish a 2019-20 district headcount file; the analysis uses the 11 available files.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.

Mulvane - EdTribune KS - Kansas Education Data

Shay Demlow Wants Eureka's Size to Be Its Strength