Concord School District Superintendent On Medical Leave; SAU 8 Board Members Make Quick Admin Shifts

CONCORD, NH — Concord’s school superintendent has been granted medical leave of absence through December, according to Concord School Board President Pam Walsh.

Board members met in a nonpublic session on Monday to discuss the request by Kathleen Murphy, the district’s superintendent since 2020, and name interim officials to lead the district and its schools in her absence. The board voted in Tim Herbert, the principal of Concord High School, as acting superintendent. After Herbert was appointed, he named Kristen Gallo, the principal of the Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, to serve as acting principal at the high school. Lindsay Nye, the assistant principal at McAuliffe, was appointed acting principal there.

The ability to shuffle administrative staff so quickly in an emergency was a credit to Murphy’s team-building efforts at SAU 8, Walsh said. Murphy, she said, “has stabilized and strengthened” the district by focusing on student safety, support, and outcomes.

“We will greatly miss Kathleen’s daily presence during her leave, but we are grateful that she has built a strong team that will allow us to weather her absence,” she said. “We wish Kathleen all the best and hope for her swift return.”

Murphy had announced the 2025-2036 school year would be her last with the district, Walsh said. She told Patch during the budget cycle earlier this year, not long after her husband, Tom, passed away, that she enjoyed the work and had hoped to continue.

The board issued a request for proposals for a superintendent search firm this past July, Walsh said.

Herbert has been working for the district since 2019, when he was hired as assistant principal at CHS. Previously, he served as assistant principal at Pembroke Academy for five years. Herbert has a superintendent’s certification with the state and also a doctorate in education. He was promoted to be the principal at CHS in 2023.

Gallo spent 17 years at Souhegan High School in Amherst, serving as dean of faculty and also as the principal of Mast Way Elementary School in the Oyster River School District, before coming to Concord. She has been at McAuliffe for 13 years.

“We are grateful for all of the staff members who quickly and willingly agreed to step up to continue our important work,” Walsh said, “and help ensure a smooth first day of school for all our students.”

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