Jefferson City schools tap new superintendent

Maryville educator to succeed Mitchell

Larry Linthacum was a Jefferson City High School business teacher and assistant coach for football and basketball in the 1995-96 school year.

Starting July 1 - 20 years after he came here as a first-year teacher - Linthacum, now 47, will begin work as the district's new superintendent, succeeding Brian Mitchell, who is leaving the district for a private sector job opportunity.

"I have fond memories of the Jefferson City Public Schools, the community, the "Jay Pride,'" Linthacum told the News Tribune late Friday afternoon. "There was just something, honestly, very special about the place - even though I was there for just one year. ...

"It was just something that I was always very fond of there - and I look forward to being a part of that (again)."

The seven-member Jefferson City Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Linthacum, who currently serves as superintendent at the Maryville R-2 School District in northwest Missouri, after interviewing him a second time Thursday evening.

"His ability to build relationships and his knowledge base and understanding of issues - the combination of those two, we thought, made him the strongest as a candidate," Board President Dennis Nickelson said, in a separate interview. "He needs to be a good communicator with the patrons of the district and the community.

"We've got a lot of issues that we are facing, that are new, and he needs to be able to communicate those and our plans to address those for our kids."

Linthacum sees communication as one of his strong points.

"I feel like my values and what I believe in matches what the Jefferson City Public Schools believe in - building relationships, setting high expectations and connecting with the community, that we're all working together," he explained.

"I enjoy being a part of that process, and I'm looking forward to working with the tremendous staff and getting to know the community members and the community leaders and parents and the staff."

Linthacum said he is looking forward to working with the district's strong administrative team, as well.

"I'm a believer in the team approach, and that truly, together, everyone does achieve more," Linthacum said.

The Jefferson City board and Linthacum both expect he'll be traveling back and forth between Maryville and the capital a number of times between now and his actual first-day on the job this coming summer.

Linthacum grew up in Bethany and graduated from high school in 1986.

He went to the University of Missouri, graduating in 1991. While at Mizzou, he played football for both Woody Woodenhoefer and Bob Stull. He has earned his masters and education specialist degrees from Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, and currently is working on his doctorate at MU.

After that one year teaching here, he moved back home to be the South Harrison School District's head football coach.

He spent 15 years in Bethany - his last three as superintendent. He's in his fourth year as Maryville's superintendent.

He's been married 16 years, and the couple has four children - ages 8, 10, 12 and 14.

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