In the closing minutes of a 6 1/2-hour Columbus Municipal School District board meeting on Thursday, members unanimously voted to change officers.
Yvonne Cox was tapped as the new board president, replacing Jason Spears in that role. Cox is serving her first term on the board, after the city council appointed her in February 2018.
Telisa Young, appointed in March 2018, will serve as board vice president. She replaces Fredrick Sparks in that role. Josie Shumake, who was sworn in for a second five-year term at the beginning of the meeting, will continue as board secretary.
Spears, appointed to the board in March 2012, served as president from 2013-14 and again from 2017 until Thursday evening. He led the board through the process of terminating former superintendent Philip Hickman and hiring current superintendent Cherie Labat.
“I feel really good about this transition,” Spears said. “I think my time as board president saw some really good things, working with the trustees to bring in Dr. Labat and putting the district in a very good financial position. I think the transition will be very smooth and that Trustee Cox will continue to momentum. She understands that we all rely on each other to keep things going in the right direction.”
At 10:30 p.m. Thursday, after a motion and second to adjourn, Spears, seated at the center of the board table, turned to Cox at the far end.
“I want my seat back,” Spears said. “I tell you, I’ve been ready to move out of this location for a long time.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.