One finalist withdraws, leaving sole finalist for Adams 14 superintendent role

Students walk through the hall at Adams City High School between classes Monday, Feb. 4, 2019.
One of two finalists for the Adams 14 superintendent job withdrew from consideration.

One of two finalists for superintendent of Adams 14 has dropped out.

That leaves Karla Loria, currently the chief academic officer of the Clark County School District in Nevada, as the sole finalist to lead the working-class suburban district.

In a statement announcing his withdrawal, the other candidate, Stephen Linkous apologized for the timing. 

“After much thought and deliberation with myself and my family, I feel this the best decision for us at this time,” Linkous said in the statement. “I apologize for the timing of this decision. I would sincerely like to thank your organization and the board of education for your understanding.”

Linkous, who is from Denver, is currently working as chief of staff for the Kansas City school district in Kansas.

On Tuesday, Linkous and Loria both participated in a virtual community forum answering questions from the board. Both were scheduled to interview with the board Friday. 

After Linkous withdrew, the Adams 14 board announced it would proceed with interviewing Loria as the sole finalist on Friday. The board plans to vote next week on offering Loria the job. 

The interview will be at 3 p.m. Friday and can be viewed virtually.

The Latest

This major policy change treats Head Start as a welfare program rather than an educational one.

Amid state budget troubles, alternative schools lost more than $4 million in funding.

This is my story of eviction and resilience.

Teachers and school district leaders spoke with Gov. Jared Polis about the impact of the withheld federal education funding.

CPS owes teachers retroactive raises for last school year and could be making more school-based cuts this month as it works to close a gaping deficit.

The proposed changes are aimed at providing more students the opportunity to move up a grade or take accelerated classes. Officials say internal data show most acceleration applicants come from the north side of the city, which is wealthier and whiter than other parts of Chicago.