With Superintendent Stanley Ellis’ resignation officially approved, the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees hopes to have an interim superintendent tapped by its May meeting.
The board accepted Ellis’ resignation during a special-call meeting Monday, after which President Robert Smith told The Dispatch the board is looking to appoint an interim from within the district.
Ellis will work alongside the interim until June 30 to ensure the transition goes smoothly, he said.
“Our main concern from the board’s standpoint is stability and continuity,” Smith said. “… We appreciate (Ellis) and his willingness to work with the district and also with whoever the district hires for interim superintendent.”
Wanting to live and work closer to his family in the Delta, Ellis first informed the board of his intention to resign April 14 during its regular board meeting. After the State Board of Education on Thursday approved his new contract with Humphreys County School District, he submitted his official resignation to trustees.
Smith said the board intends to have an interim determined by its May 12 meeting. Then the board will enlist the Mississippi School Board Association to help with the superintendent search.
“We’ll let them put out all the information and get the applicants in,” he said. “Then we’ll ask them to narrow it down to either the top five or the top three, and then as a board we’ll make a decision from there.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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