KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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Leavenworth School District Superintendent Kellen Adams will leave his job at the end of the school year to become superintendent of Piper Unified School District 203 in Wyandotte County.
Adams will replace Piper Superintendent Jessica Dain, who is retiring.
Adams begins his new job on July 1.
"I am honored to be selected as the next superintendent of Piper USD 203,” Adams stated in a news release. “I look forward to working alongside students, staff, families, and the community to continue the district’s strong tradition of excellence and to create new opportunities for all learners.”
Piper USD 203 Board of Education President Ashley Biondi said Adams performance and focus on student success set him apart during the search for a new superintendent.
"We are confident in his ability to lead Piper USD 203 forward, strengthen our district’s culture and continue delivering exceptional opportunities for our students and staff," Biondi said in the news release.
KSHB 41 News Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties reporter Rachel Henderson reached out to Adams on Friday to ask about his move, but did not receive a reply.
The announcement of his departure comes as the Leavenworth School District works on solutions for its $2.5 million budget shortfall.
According to the Piper news release, Adams oversaw a $40 million annual budget for the Leavenworth School District.
There are about 3,300 students in the Leavenworth School District.
Amy Parsons, a parent who has lived in Leavenworth for about 10 years, said Adams was handed ‘a mess’ when he took over three years ago for a retiring superintendent.
"I don’t blame him for moving on," Parsons said. "I’m like, if they’re not going to play ball with him, let him do his job, I was like, he’s going to go to a different district, you know. And I called that like two months ago.”
Parsons, who has a child in the second grade at Henry Leavenworth Elementary, is also active in the Parent Teacher Organization.
"Not everything falls on his shoulders, and he can’t take the blame for a lot of these problems because he works in conjunction with the board," Parsons said. "Because there’s so much division within the seven board members that we have, we usually can’t come to an agreement. So then those tough decisions that nobody wants to make, that really need to be made, don’t end up getting made.”
I spoke to Adams about the budget shortfall at the end of January.
"If we continue to string this out, people are left to wonder," Adams said.
During a school board meeting in February, the board looked at several options to address the deficit.
Adams suggested closing one of three of the district's elementary schools.
The two schools up for consideration were Anthony Elementary School and David Brewer Elementary School.
Adams candidly addressed the board before its members voted to close the intermediate school, which was used for fifth and sixth grade students.
"You’re going to be back in this position every single year until you make the tough decisions that need to be made," Adams said to the board at the February 9 meeting.
Parsons noted the Leavenworth School District faces unique challenges, including geographic boundaries and a transient population tied to the military and local prisons.
"It’s like, there’s no good option on the table, but our district needs money to operate," Parsons said.
The board also voted to maintain the district’s hiring freeze.
That leaves parents like Parsons wondering if there will be an interim superintendent, how the district can hire during a freeze, and whether the replacement will be internal.
"When school starts in the fall, I don’t know really what that will look like," Parsons said.
A district spokesperson said they cannot confirm anything about the hiring process. No replacement for Adams has been named.
"We need someone that is a strong leader, that is very forward thinking, that understands the needs of this community," Parsons said.
Parsons is calling on the community to play its part during the transition.
"We have to work together as a team. We have to be unified. And right now, sadly, we’re just not," Parsons said. "It does no good to point fingers and place blame. We need to be together in this and unified as a community, as a school district in order to be successful.”
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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