Kansas City educator hired as new superintendent in New Hampshire — then, um, not
Stephen Linkous, chief of staff in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, was all ready to head to Nashua, New Hampshire, to lead the 11,000-student school district in the Granite State.
The district had been searching for a superintendent for a year. Linkous nailed the interviews, beating out 14 other applicants and two other finalists.
In February, he was offered and accepted the job, scheduled to start in July.
“Nashua deserves an excellent leader, which is exactly what I believe we have,” Jennifer Bishop, president of the Nashua Board of Education, told local media at the time.
But someone involved in the search apparently didn’t do their homework.
This week, the district rescinded its offer, saying that Linkous’ certification to be a superintendent in Kansas was not transferable to New Hampshire.
A consulting firm, BWP & Associates of Libertyville, Ill., had been hired to conduct the search and to find candidates from around the country.
“The search consultant assumed there is reciprocity between Kansas and New Hampshire,” Bishop said in a letter to the public. “That assumption proved to be incorrect and Mr. Linkous is unable to be certified in New Hampshire. Sadly, Mr. Linkous will be unable to serve as our new superintendent.”
Linkous, in an email to The Star, thanked the Nashua district and community for selecting him.
“It was a pleasure getting to know the board, administration, and residents during my visits to the beautiful city,” he wrote. “I wish the Nashua Public Schools and community the best during their search for their next superintendent.”
According to his LinkedIn page, Linkous received a bachelor’s degree in history from Park University in 1995, a master’s in educational leadership from the University of Denver in 2005 and his superintendent’s license in 2021 through Wichita State University.
Before coming to Kansas City, Kansas, in July 2019, Linkous was an assistant superintendent in the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 6:31 PM.
