Busch, Hughes named finalists in A-P/GC superintendent search

A pair of candidates—both named Rob, and both with previous administrative experience—have been chosen as the finalists for the new shared superintendent position at Aplington-Parkersburg and Grundy Center.

Robert Busch is the current Superintendent and Pre K-6 Principal at the Edgewood-Colesburg district in northeast Iowa. He has previously served as a shared superintendent, curriculum director and 7-12 principal.

Robert Hughes is the assistant Superintendent at the Fort Dodge Community School District, with previous experience as a curriculum coordinator and elementary principal. Last year, he was a finalist for the superintendent job at Fort Dodge, and earlier this year, he was a finalist at Iowa Falls. 

Current A-P Superintendent Jon Thompson is retiring in Iowa and accepting a position in Minnesota at Rushford-Petersen in the fall, and Grundy Center Superintendent Neil Mullen plans to retire once a suitable replacement is found. The two districts have a combined enrollment of about 1,500 students, and 2019-2020 will be their first year sharing an administrator.

“We have two candidates who are very well qualified with a lot of experience not only in instruction, but with leading. Both are highly respected, and the boards have a difficult decision to make between the two,” Mullen said. “Things have been going well with the two school boards and the search. It's a unique situation with two outgoing superintendents helping with the process of hiring a new superintendent, but it seems to be going well.”

Interviews for the job will be held on Wednesday, April 17.

Michaela Kendall contributed reporting to this story. 

For the full story, see this week’s Eclipse News-Review. Subscribe by calling 319-346-1461 or by clicking here.