By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

Learning every child's name in her school always has been important to Janci Kugler Mills.

That should be easier than normal at her new job.

Mills, principal at Roosevelt Elementary School in Hays the past three years, is leaving Hays after nearly 20 years to take over the superintendent-principal position in Brewster USD 314.

Brewster has about 100 students in its entire district in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Roosevelt's enrollment is about 400. And Felten Middle School, where Mills served as assistant principal for 10 years before moving over to Roosevelt in 2008, has between 500 and 600 students each year.

"Wherever I was, I made it a point to learn every child's name," Mills said. "I think it's important to show each child that respect, to let them you know you care by knowing their name.

"You know," she added, "that won't be as many names (in Brewster)."

And she will be able to spend a lot of time in her new district, living just 15 minutes away.

The past three years, Mills put in a lot of windshield time visiting her husband, Ed Mills.

The couple had been married about a year when Ed Mills, then dean of education at Fort Hays State University, took the president's job at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland in 2008, right about the time his wife became principal at Roosevelt.

On weekends, they met in either Hays or Goodland, always with an eye on "the right opportunity" for Mills to move closer to Goodland.

That chance came several weeks ago, right in their back yard.

Mills learned in late April the Brewster position was open, and she successfully pursued it.

"It will be nice to be together all the time now," she said of her husband, although she said she would miss Hays.

"In education, it's always about the people," Mills said. "There are good people and good kids in Hays. And after being in Hays a long time, you make good friends with staff and parents and faculty."

Mills started in the Hays district as a teacher at O'Loughlin Elementary School in 1992.

After four years there, a science position opened up at Felten, where Mills taught for a year before she heard about a principal's job at nearby Otis-Bison Middle School.

"In Hays, it's not very often someone moves or retires, and I wanted to get into (administration), so I thought I'd try it," said Mills, who remained living in Hays and drove to Bison every day.

"I just liked Hays so much and was always hopeful something would come up there."

Her wait for one of those type of jobs to come open took just one year. The assistant principal at Felten left after the 1997-98 school year, and Mills was able to return to the school she knew well.

"It was like coming home," she said. "I couldn't believe it."

Ditto for the job in Brewster.

"This is our home now, and I was looking for the right place," she said, "a place where I felt like I could make a difference."

"Being smaller," Mills added, "it's a nice opportunity to learn about every child and getting to know the parents. I'm excited."