Linn R-2 board members last week by a 6-1 vote — President Dennis Gravedoni cast the nay vote — hired Bob James to serve as superintendent with an initial two-year contract at $135,000 annually, which they understand is a higher salary than anticipated.

“The board had six applicants apply in a search facilitated by the Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE),” said board member and State Tech President Dr. Shawn Strong. “Of those six, we interviewed three in-person. Bob was the clear frontrunner after the in-person interview. We were aware of his current salary and made the decision to offer a salary that would attract and retain an individual we believe will be an excellent superintendent. Our goal is not to complete a superintendent search every few years.”

James, a 1995 graduate of Linn High School, said he’s very happy to return to his roots. “I am incredibly honored and humbled to have been chosen to serve the students, staff, and community of Linn and the Osage County R-II School District,” said James, who will begin his duties on July 1. “I look forward to partnering with the community and district to continue the proud traditions of Wildcat country while continuing to move the district forward to meet our present and future challenges with excellence in the classroom and on the competition fields.”

Dr. Strong noted the board interviewed three candidates and James was the clear choice. “His desire to return to the school he graduated from was icing on the cake,” he said. “We are excited about Bob’s potential to engage the community while moving the school district forward.”

James noted that throughout his career, he has been blessed to be selective in his applications, choosing roles that meant something to him personally.

“Linn definitely falls in that category,” he said. “Linn is a smaller school district compared to my previous experiences but it has large community opportunities like its partnership with State Technical College and the economic development that has occurred and will continue as a result. To me, it all means opportunities for our kids and community; I was, and am, very excited at the prospect of playing a role in creating those opportunities in a community that created so many opportunities for me.”

Board member Mark Baker is happy to have James come aboard. “I’m excited to have a new leader that is not new to our community,” he said. “His educational leadership experience, paired with his prior business and military background, brings a skill set that will come in quite handy at our school district. We’re excited to welcome back a native son to lead our organization. In his interview, he spoke of increasing the collaboration with the city, community, State Tech, and local businesses; I hope this encourages greater community engagement with our schools.”

This is an emotional situation for James, who returns to the community in an important role. “I owe much of my story and success to the staff, teachers, coaches, and administrators of Linn Elementary, Middle, and High schools,” he said. “It is difficult to describe in words, but I hope to perform my duties in a manner that makes my sentiment obvious. I strongly believe in service; I am excited to return home for the same reasons I left to serve in the military 25-plus years ago.”

After graduation from Linn, James enlisted in the United States Army in 1995. After five years of service, he exited the military and completed his undergraduate at Tarleton State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with Secondary Certification. 

James began teaching right away and began his graduate studies at Texas A&M University in tandem, earning a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership with Administrative Certification. Before concluding his graduate degree, James was offered his first administrative job at Temple High School in Temple, Texas, as an assistant principal.

He served Temple High School as an assistant principal, associate principal of curriculum and instruction, and eventually, building principal. Shortly after entering into the doctoral program at Texas A&M University, he was offered the job of building principal of Jefferson City High School and returned home, where he has served for the last seven years. 

Board treasurer Hannah Swann said James brings a lot of experience to the table. “Bob impressed me as the kind of person who strives for excellence in everything he does while bringing out the best in others,” she said. “He has the ability to develop strong relationships and bring people together and has earned a tremendous amount of respect from numerous individuals he has interacted with in his current role as a principal in Jefferson City. His passion for kids and teaching is immediately apparent. I’m excited Bob is joining our team in Linn, and am looking forward to seeing our school grow under his leadership.”

James is earning his Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State this spring and intends to complete his education with a doctoral degree but he has not determined the program/university at this time.

Students have always been the main focus for James. “They go out into the world and do amazing things,” he said. “I have been blessed to watch my students become successful professionals, world-class athletes, volunteers, community leaders, business owners, and generally great people- many of which I now call friends. They will always be the best I had or will have, to offer.”

As he begins his tenure at Linn R-2, James said that while he knows a lot about the Linn community and the district, he will develop a sense of the school’s top three goals as he makes the transition.

As of now, James plans to become familiar with students and staff — their strengths, opportunities — and the various resources and contexts available to leverage for improvement. “People are important and always my priority, and getting to know them, hearing their stories, and building relationships are imperative,” he noted.

James has been gone a while though he still eats at BJ’s Restaurant once a week or so, gets gas at Casper’s, or grabs a pizza for the Super Bowl at “The Pizza Place” (Main Street Pizza), he still has a lot to learn and catch up on. “I hope to reintegrate into the community more deeply, meet everyone, make unfamiliar faces familiar, and generally begin living my entire personal and professional life in Linn,” said James. “I lived in Linn long enough to know where everything is and know familiar names and families, but have been gone long enough that a lot of it will seem new all over again. I am looking forward to becoming a part of the community again.”

A top priority for any district is building and establishing trust. “My alumni status will only get me so far,” said James. “People need to know me, my values, and my leadership style and philosophies; creating those opportunities is up to me as a leader. Giving the community a strong sense of who I am and establishing approachability is a major goal for me.”

James said Linn R-2 has a lot of positives. “We have a very good staff, our kids are great, and our community and parents are willing to partner with us,” he added. “All of those are strengths a school leader likes to see. Part of having a great staff is taking care of them, making sure they are valued, and giving them the support and resources they need to do great things. Students need to have a great experience while they go to school with us; making sure that we are cognizant of the environment and opportunities that we are providing our kids is very important. Great kids are generally the product of great parents and experiences. As a school district, we will need to continue that value system throughout our schools and reinforce the learning that has earned our students the title of ‘great kids.’ Maintaining partnerships with our parents and community is essential to providing a great education. I believe you do that through great communication, a shared vision for the district and its schools, and creating an open and honest partnership to orchestrate our efforts. All of that takes “maintain-ance.” I am looking forward to the work.”

James hasn’t had the opportunity to see much at this point in terms of challenges. “I know the district, its students, and the community prefer a very involved leader that wants to be a member of the community beyond the duties assigned them in a contract and I plan to be just that,” he said. “People will see me a little bit of everywhere. I believe most of our challenges will be mitigated with a strong, yet approachable, presence allowing the community to get to know me and me them. As with any great school district, moving to an exceptional status is a major undertaking. I plan to partner with anyone and everyone to do just that — move Linn onward as an exceptional school district.”

Bob met his wife Amanda, a Texas native, and they married in 1997. They have two sons, Christian James (22) and Jackson James (15). Christian is a State Tech graduate and currently works as an electrician for Kaiser Electric in Jefferson City. Jackson intends to attend the University of Central Missouri and complete their Aviation Science program in hopes of being a commercial pilot.  

The family currently lives on the Cole County side of the Osage River and enjoys fishing, swimming, hunting, golf, ATV riding, etc. 

While James does not plan to purchase a “lot” house, he and his family have been looking at small farms in the area for a few years. “I would love to find one that is a good fit and financially feasible,” he said. “The short answer is no, we don’t plan to move into the district, but if we move at all it will be into Osage County, hopefully to a small farm.”

For James, this is home. “I hope to eventually retire right here in Osage County and complete my journey where it began,” said James. “I look forward to meeting you all personally in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Thank you so much for the opportunity and Go Wildcats!”