A Lowndes County School District assistant superintendent anno-unced her intent to run for superintendent today, but current Superintendent Mike Halford said he remains undecided on his future.
Assistant Superinten-dent Edna McGill, who presides over curriculum and instruction, said this morning she intends to qualify for the superintendent position this afternoon. She”ll face current LCSD employees Sam Allison, principal at New Hope Middle School; Cliff Reynolds, principal at West Lowndes High School; and former New Hope High School Principal Lynn Wright.
Halford stood by his claim this morning that he will announce his decision on the March 1 qualifying deadline.
“The story should be about the names in the hat. Not those that are not,” he said. “This weekend I”ll know for sure.”
McGill, 55, has worked in education the past 32 years. After graduating with bachelor”s and master”s degrees from Mississippi University for Women, she worked for 18 years as a speech pathologist in the West Point and Columbus school districts. She also holds an education specialist degree from Mississippi State University.
McGill began her administrative tenure with two years as assistant principal at Sudduth Elementary in Starkville before spending seven years as principal at Cook Middle School in Columbus. She has worked for the LCSD central administration for five years.
During her time with the LCSD, McGill led district-wide initiatives such as the Advanced Placement grant and achieving Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.
She believes her election would lead to a seamless transition at the highest administrative level without losing any of the momentum the district has built in recent years.
“In 2008 the stakeholders of the LCSD adopted a mission to challenge all students to attain their greatest potential. Because we believe so strongly in that and we”ve worked so hard toward that, I want to see that mission continue. If I am elected we can continue in the direction of making the LCSD one of the best in the state,” she said.
McGill will face Allison and Wright in the Republican primary.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.