Linn-Mar superintendent withdraws from job search in Florida

LINN COUNTY — Linn-Mar Superintendent Quintin Shepherd said he has withdrawn himself from a superintendent search in Florida, where he was named as a finalist earlier this week.

Shepherd, superintendent of the Linn-Mar school district for the past 17 months, was one of seven in the running to be superintendent of Lake County Schools, located near Orlando.

Shepherd, 39, said in an email his 'commitment has always been to the Linn-Mar Community School District.'

'I am passionate about our schools and this community,' he said. 'While I was honored to participate in the search, my unquestionable commitment is to Linn-Mar. This is why I chose to withdraw.'

The Gazette had been unable to reach Shepherd when an initial report was published Thursday morning.

Shepherd said he did not recall the day he withdrew from the search. As of Thursday, the Lake County school district's website still listed Shepherd as a finalist for the district's top position.

Matthew May, Linn-Mar's communications director, said Shepherd had contacted the firm involved with Lake County's superintendent search.

'I'm not certain that search firm has contacted the Lake County School District that he's withdrawn,' May said. 'So I'm not sure if they have that information, but he has withdrawn.'

Before joining the Linn-Mar district — where he earns an annual salary of $215,000 — in July 2015, Shepherd was superintendent of Illinois' District 69, which served about 1,700 students near Skokie and Morton Grove. He has also worked as a superintendent and principal at the Amboy Community Unit School District in Illinois, according to previous Gazette reporting.

The Daily Commercial newspaper, which covers Lake County, reported the Lake County School Board discussed the candidates at a Dec. 5 meeting where some school board members worried about Shepherd's experience in relatively small school districts. Lake County Schools serves about 41,000 students, while Linn-Mar serves about 7,000.