The Lowndes County School District Board of Trustees met for an hour in executive session Tuesday evening to discuss its search for a new superintendent of schools, but did not change the format for conducting interviews for the finalists.
On Oct. 22, the LCSD Board voted in a special-call meeting to limit public participation in the finalist interviews to 15 citizens, with each board member selecting three citizens to attend. Those 15 would pose questions and rate the candidates. Board attorney Jeff Smith said the format, which he called a “limited public forum,” is permissible under the state’s Public Meetings Act.
“There was some discussion about the format, but there was not a vote to change the format to a fully public forum,” Smith said.
Board president Bob Barksdale confirmed the meeting would not be public.
“The board just decided, you know, to stick with our initial decision,” he said.
Board member Brian Clark, who said after the Oct. 22 decision he favored allowing the public to attend the interviews with the finalists, did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Jane Kilgore participated by phone. The board took three actions, approved in a single vote by a 3-1 margin with Jacqueline Gray voting no.
The board voted to hold two executive sessions next week where it will interview the six remaining candidates.
“One of the candidates voluntarily withdrew,” Smith said. “We can’t tell you who that was.”
Current LCSD Superintendent Lynn Wright is one of the six remaining candidates.
Smith said the board will choose an unspecified number of finalist before its regular Nov. 12 meeting.
The board will conduct its interview with the finalists on Nov. 12 as decided during the Oct. 22 meeting.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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