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New Leader for Nixa Public Schools is Chosen

Nixa Public Schools

The Nixa Public School District has announced its new superintendent.  Dr. H Gearl Loden will start the job next July 1.

Loden has served as superintendent of Tupelo Public Schools in Tupelo, Mississippi for the last six years.

Nixa’s Board of Education president, Scott McDonald, said in a news release they chose Loden because he “comes from a school district larger than Nixa and has faced some of the challenges that our school and state may encounter in the future.”

Under Loden’s leadership, the Tupelo Public School District improved its state achievement ranking from 46th to a high of 16th during a five-year period; increased its graduation rate from 72.4% in 2012 to more than 86.6% in 2016 and reduced major discipline infractions from 1,092 in 2011-2012 to 135 in 2016-2017.

Dr. Loden was named the 2015 Mississippi State Superintendent of the Year.

Nixa Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephen Kleinsmith will retire at the end of the school year.

McDonald said, “you cannot replace Dr. Kleinsmith and we do not want to do so.  You can only build upon the successes that he and his team have achieved at Nixa.”

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.