Rockwood Selects Former Wentzville Superintendent for Interim Post

The Rockwood School Board has named former Wentzville School District leader Terry Adams as interim superintendent, effective July 1.

Board President Bill Brown announced Adams’ appointment Thursday night and said he brings with him a wealth of experience in education administration.

His career includes 27 years as a Missouri superintendent at districts in Rolla, Park Hills and Arcadia Valley. Adams most recently served as the chief administrator at Wentzville for the past seven years and retired this past April.

Adams will replace current superintendent Bruce Borchers, who has accepted a position at the Oak Ridge School District in Tennessee after signing on with Rockwood in 2010. 

The contract signed by Adams is for one year at a salary of $250,000 and is designed to give the district time to conduct a formalized search for a permanent replacement.

Adams was one of several candidates interviewed behind closed doors last Monday. In a press release provided by the district, Adams said he was looking forward to helping the district make a “seamless transition.”

“I am thrilled to have this unexpected opportunity to continue my work in public education,” he said.

Adams grew up in the St. Louis area and began his career in 1975 as an elementary physical education teacher and basketball coach at the middle/high school level in Union, Mo. He has also held teaching and coaching positions in Perryville, Mol., and served as an elementary school principal in the Lesterville and Ironton districts.

The focus for the board now moves to decisions on the timeline and the process for selecting Borchers permanent successor, which the district said will be made in the coming weeks. 

The primary considerations will include whether or not to disclose the names of the finalists for the position and if an outside party will be hired to conduct the search.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story stated that Adams had retired. While Adams did discuss retirment plans when resigned from the Wentzville School District in April, he has not officially retired.