USD 480 Board of Education Approves Superintendent Search Finalists

USD 480 Public Relations

The USD 480 Board of Education is pleased to announce they have selected two candidates to interview for the open superintendent position. The two candidates are:

Mr. Stephen Linkous of Overland Park, KS currently serves as the Chief of Staff for Arlington Public Schools in Arlington, VA. He has spent his 29 year career in the field of education, serving as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, school support officer, assistant superintendent, and chief of staff in various districts.

Prior to taking his current position in 2022, Mr. Linkous served as Chief of Staff for Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools for three years after serving as Assistant Superintendent at Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, AZ.

Mr. Ruben Cano of Liberal, KS currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education for Liberal Public Schools, a position he has held for the previous two years. He has spent 19 years in education serving as a history teacher for three years before moving into administration.

Prior to taking the assistant superintendent position at USD 480, he spent a year as Chief of High Schools/Principal in Council Bluffs, IA. Before his year at Council Bluffs he spent 17 years in the Omaha Public School System as a teacher and administrator at the secondary level.

These two candidates have been invited to Liberal for in person interviews next week and will tour the schools and the Liberal community before meeting with district administrators, staff, and community members. Their day in Liberal will end with a formal interview with the USD 480 Board of Education.

Mr. Linkous will be in Liberal on Monday, February 26, and will be accompanied by his wife during his visit. There will be an opportunity for the community to meet and ask Mr. Linkous questions at a community meet and greet from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 26, in Room SW229D on the campus of Seward County Community College.

Mr. Cano will be in Liberal on Thursday, February 29, and will be accompanied by his children Ruben III and Ruby, and their mother, Claudia. There will be an opportunity for the community to meet and ask Mr. Cano questions at a community meet and greet from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 29, in Room SW229D on the campus of Seward County Community College.