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Andover, KS - Incoming Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Mark Evans comes to the district after working more than two decades in school leadership roles.

He was a teacher, assistant principal, principal and interim superintendent in Wichita, KS which is comparable to the size of Omaha.

Evans has worked in Andover, KS since 2005. The quiet community is outside Wichita. There are 5,300 students in the Andover School District compared to the 46,000 students at OPS.

KMTV Action 3 News Anchor Jennifer Griswold recently sat down with Evans for a one-on-one interview in Andover. When asked why he wanted to take on the challenges of a district like OPS, Evans said, "I guess you can only say there's only one reason you'd do it, the belief you can make a difference. And if you can make a difference with 50,000 thousand students versus 5,500 students then shouldn't you try to do that."

Evans says he doesn't have any items of business to tackle right when he starts this summer. He says he initially wants to listen and learn.

Parents and school leaders in Andover told us they were selfishly disappointed to hear he accepted the job in Omaha. Tracy Ingram has twins in the district and said, "I'm glad my kids are graduating, he'll be missed, definitely, he's done great things with the district."

Evans says the move makes sense for personal reasons as well. His wife grew up in Lincoln and still has family in Nebraska. He says they'll also be closer to their daughter who recently moved to Minneapolis.

Mark Evans starts July 1st with a base salary of 265,000 dollars a year for three years. In Andover his base salary is 157,500 dollars a year.

On KMTV Action 3 News Live at 10 on Wednesday you can hear more of Jennifer's conversation with Evans. She specifically asks him about the controversies and changes involving the Omaha Public School Board.