Murray superintendent to retire

AFTON - With the adoption of an early retirement policy, Murray and East Union Schools Superintendent Tim Kuehl said he will be retiring from his shared position at the end of the school year. Both districts will be searching for a superintendent to fill the shared position.

The policy was adopted Monday and allows for qualified school administrators, including Kuehl, to retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Kuehl said the policy had been discussed for a couple years and the policy’s adoption was not in response to any specific event.

Kuehl has served as superintendent for East Union since 2021, replacing Ken Kasper. He accepted a shared position with Murray Schools at the same time. When he leaves at the end of his contract, Kuehl will have served five years with both schools.

The Murray School Board met Monday night with an agenda item to approve restructuring of 2026-27 administrative positions. The agenda noted it was recommended to approve a 40% shared superintendent with East Union.

The two schools have hired Grundmeyer Leader Services to assist them in hiring a new superintendent to be shared between them. Stakeholder surveys are currently available for district members to share what they would like to see in their next superintendent. Surveys can be found online at forms.gle/E1EP6mJ2taYbkEuL8 and is open until Dec. 30; all surveys are anonymous.

The timeline for hiring a superintendent has an application deadline of Jan. 31, 2026, school boards review of candidates Feb. 11, semifinalist interviews with the school boards Feb. 17 and in-district finalist interviews Feb. 24.

Candra Brooks contributed to this article.