Spring Hill's school board voted Monday, Sept. 14, to seek a search firm for the district's next superintendent, targeting a July 1, 2027, start date.
The board approved a request for proposals for a search consultant at its regular meeting, according to the district's meeting summary. The RFP was scheduled for release Sept. 15, with proposals due Oct. 5 and a contract award anticipated Oct. 26.
The RFP sets a Nov. 1 start date for the search firm, with a superintendent candidate selected and offered the position in January 2027.
The timeline marks a shift from earlier plans. The Johnson County Post reported in January that the board had extended Superintendent Dr. Link Luttrell's contract, delaying his retirement to June 2028. But after two executive sessions Sept. 14, the board amended its agenda to authorize board members Ted Beauchamp and Jon Chitwood to finalize a "superintendent contract and leadership transition agreement" for execution by Board President April Horne and Luttrell. Terms of that agreement were not disclosed in open session.
The district's RFP calls for national, regional and statewide recruitment and asks the consultant to consider both traditional and nontraditional candidates. Firms will be scored on experience, methodology and fixed project fee, each worth 25 points out of a 100-point scale. Questions and proposals are being routed through district legal counsel Greg Goheen of MVP Law.
Budget and tax rate
The board also approved the fiscal year 2027 budget after a public hearing that opened at 5:30 p.m. and closed at 5:55 p.m. No residents spoke at the hearing. The total budget amount was not included in the district's published summary.
The board approved Revenue-Neutral-Rate Resolution 27.05 and maintained the Local Option Budget (LOB) at 33% for the 2026-27 school year, unchanged from the prior year.
Bond projects on track
Executive Director of Operations Marc Williams reported that bond-funded construction projects remain largely on budget. Elementary addition projects, approved at slightly more than $12 million, are projected to finish about $430,000 below the approved amount. HVAC projects, approved at roughly $10.2 million, are tracking about $1.3 million under budget.
At Spring Hill High School, crews were preparing to pour footings for the Career and Technical Education addition and commons expansion, with slightly more than $1 million remaining in contingency.
Williams flagged one issue: a flat portion of the roof at the Prairie Creek Elementary School addition was holding water because a planned slope was omitted from the construction documents. The design firm acknowledged the error and will cover the repair cost, Williams told the board, rather than charging it against the district's contingency.
Enrollment and academics
Luttrell said the district had completed its first 20 days of the school year. He said enrollment growth had slowed compared with previous years but "early childhood enrollment for 3- and 4-year-old students appeared to be exceeding projections."
On the academic side, 203 Spring Hill High School students completed 263 Advanced Placement exams across 11 courses in 2026, achieving an 84% pass rate. Students also earned 645 Johnson County Community College credit hours through College Now dual-credit courses.
The board reviewed proposed changes to board member district boundaries to reflect population growth but took no action. Staff said the proposal could return for a vote at an October meeting.
