The Northwest R-1 School District recently hired its next superintendent – Kyle Gibbs, currently the superintendent of the Farmington R-7 School District, a position he has held since 2022.
He will begin his new job at Northwest on July 1, 2026, and will be paid a $195,000 annual salary. His current salary at Farmington is $184,334.
As the new Northwest superintendent, Gibbs will oversee all district operations while working closely with staff, families and the community to advance the goals of the district, district officials said in a written statement.
Gibbs, 48, resides in Farmington but has plans to move closer to the Northwest district. He is married to Amy Gibbs, and they have two sons, Karson and Keaton, and two daughters, Karissa and Kyleigh.
According to the Northwest district’s written statement, Gibbs has 27 years of experience in education. He received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education from Evangel University, a master’s degree in educational administration from Southwest Baptist University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Southwest Baptist University.
In addition to seven years of experience as a superintendent – four years at the Crawford County R-1 School District and three years at the Farmington district, Gibbs spent 12 years in the classroom at the elementary and middle school levels and eight years as a building principal at those same grade levels. Gibbs also taught education courses as an adjunct professor at Hannibal-LaGrange University and led strategic planning work for Missouri school districts as an education consultant with FiredUp Consulting Group, Northwest reported in its written statement.
The search for the next superintendent began in October when the Northwest Board of Education hired the Missouri School Boards’ Association to head up the superintendent search. Gibbs said he found the job posted on the MSBA website and researched the school.
“I learned more about the district and found out about its Leader in Me, Lighthouse Schools. I am very passionate about that,” he said. “I have family who lives in the area, and I have that connection as well. I’ve spent some time driving around, seeing the schools and getting to know the community a bit more. I felt like it was all a good fit, and it proved to be after the interview process with the board and seeing what a high-functioning, hard-working board they are.”
Gibbs said he is eager to start his new chapter at Northwest, which allows opportunities for growth for the district and himself.
“I just really knew that this would push me in the final years of my career. I don’t want to coast off. I want to give my best years here at the end,” he said. “So, I felt like Northwest would challenge me to do that, and I, in turn, would help them get them to the next level.”
Northwest school board president Mary Thomasson said 16 people applied for the position of superintendent.
She said in the written statement that the board “is confident that Dr. Gibbs will provide steady leadership and maintain a strong focus on student growth and achievement while continuing the positive work underway at Northwest.”
Gibbs said he is dedicated to upholding the district’s financial stability and wants to see it thrive for years to come.
“Northwest is in a good place with their reserves, and their budget is pretty solid; that’s good. I just want to keep that in a solid place and be fiscally responsible. And I want to make sure I set them up for success well into the future.”
Gibbs said he is looking forward to spending time in the school buildings, connecting with the staff, seeing what’s going on in classrooms and interacting with the students.
“I want to be out there, present, encouraging, lifting people up and making sure I know who they are. I’m also very passionate about the public relations role, getting the story out of our school, of our staff, of our students and what’s going on across the district. So, that is something that I’ll be very intentional about.”