KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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On Friday, I reported that Leavenworth School District Superintendent Dr. Kellen Adams moving to work for the Piper school district.
Monday, I sat down with Adams to talk about his upcoming move.
Adams, who has been looking for a new opportunity for about three months, will remain in Leavenworth through June 30.
He will start in the Piper School District on July 1.
"It’s the equivalent of having your feet in two places at the same time," Adams said. "I do want to finish well here, I want to set this district up for success as much as I can be a part of it. At the same time, I don’t want to come into Piper without having any type of contextual background or at least having laid some type of foundation."
Adams says his move was more about his career, not because of Leavenworth.
"Really, just a chance for me to advance my career," Adams said. "I wanted to stay in the greater Kansas City metro area and Piper had attracted me for several reasons."
One reason he listed was Piper's real-world learning efforts.
Another reason is the chance to talk about the district's next bond issue election.
Last April, I was in Piper after voters turned down a $32.5 million bond proposal to finish an athletic complex, add classroom space and fund new technology.
"I’d say a large portion about what excites me about Piper is conversations around the next bond," Adams said. "I think the need and the demand still remains, and so looking forward to that kind of work."
Piper parent Sanna Schneeberger voted in favor of the bond.
"We had the potential, we had the opportunity, and now we’re missing that opportunity," Schneeberger told me in April 2025.
I also spoke to Piper resident Diane Smith last year. Smith voted against the proposal.
"They should have planned it better of what their needs were instead of continuing to burden taxpayers," Smith told me last April.
Adams still has unfinished business in Leavenworth, including addressing the district’s remaining budget shortfall.
"After that is making sure that we address the remaining budget shortfall so we can close that gap in preparation for the 26-27 school year," Adams said.
He told me after a February school board meeting, the gap went from about $1.5 million to around $250,000 by closing the district's intermediate school where fifth and sixth grade students went.
"Not entirely closed, but certainly a lot closer than we were on February 9th," Adams said.
Adams initially proposed closing an elementary school, but the board was against it. He says he will keep advocating for the closure of an elementary school to address the budget shortfall long-term.
"It’s going to continue to be my recommendation that the school district look at the closure of an elementary building until those buildings are showing a capacity that’s greater than what they have right now," Adams said. "I think it continues to make sense from an operational efficiency standpoint. That, of course, is a decision I won’t be here for, but in as much as I’m involved, I will continue to advocate that is something that should be explored just for the sake of efficiency and otherwise going forward."
Leavenworth parent Amy Parsons has kept a close eye on the budget.
We spoke about Adams' departure on Friday.
"It’s like, there’s no good option on the table, but our district needs money to operate," Parsons said.
Parsons takes pride in being involved, something she and Adams encourage parents to do long after his departure.
Adams noted the next school board election is an important one.
He also said his top priority is helping the district figure out the immediate needs for the superintendent position, which will likely involve conversations about an interim or transitional leader.
"We need people that want to be involved here and that want to become a part of what Leavenworth can be," Adams said. "I think that Leavenworth still has a lot of great potential, but it’s gonna take people that are willing to get in, get their hands dirty, and be willing to be part of the really tough work and the really important work."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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