UPDATED: Fayetteville School Board to interview first candidate for superintendent

Update: Kimbrell is no longer interested in the Fayetteville superintendent’s job, reports NWAOnline.

The Fayetteville Board of Education has its first candidate for the superintendent’s position, district officials announced today.

Tom Kimbrell, commissioner for the Arkansas Department of Education, will be interviewed during a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30 in the Adams Leadership Center, 1000 W. Bulldog Blvd. in Fayetteville.

“Dr. Kimbrell called me on Monday January 20 and expressed an interest in the position and we are pleased to have the opportunity to talk with him to see if we have mutual goals,” said Tim Hudson, board president. “We all have tremendous respect for Dr. Kimbrell and all he’s done for the students of the state of Arkansas.”

Kimbrell has served as state education commissioner for over four years. Prior to that, he served as executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, and has held other leadership and superintendent positions in several Arkansas school districts. He earned his doctorate in education and his Master of Science in Education both from Arkansas State University, and his Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He and his wife Tina currently live in Cabot, Arkansas with their children, Kason and Gracie.

Superintendent Vicki Thomas resigned earlier this month. Her resignation is effective June 30. Thomas and her husband plan to move to Texas to care for an ailing family member.