The public will have a chance to meet candidates for the Columbus Municipal School District superintendent position before the board of trustees decides who to hire.
During a special-call meeting Monday, the board approved an interview process for the job that includes a communitywide meeting and stakeholder surveys.
The board plans to specifically invite community members who are engaged in the district, like members of the student advisory board and members of the Parent Teacher Organization.
“I think one thing we might try to do a little bit differently is be more aggressive in reaching out to groups that would be, for instance, the superintendent’s roundtable – people that over the years have been coming to meetings, have been very involved in the district,” Trustee Josie Shumake said.
The board debated whether an updated survey is necessary since the Mississippi School Boards Association conducted one during the last superintendent search only two years ago.
That 2023 survey included input from the sitting board members at the time, as well as from community members, about what qualities they wanted in a new superintendent as well as general sentiments about the district.
Trustee Telisa Young said an updated survey may enlighten the board to any new developments in community sentiment, noting it wouldn’t come at an extra cost to the district because it is a part of the service MSBA provides in the search.
“I’m quite sure there’s some changes that have occurred within the district in two years, and I’ll attest to what Mrs. Young said, in that, we’re paying for this service anyway,” Board President Robert Smith agreed. “So what do we have to lose? Whether we do it or not, we (still have to pay) that same amount of money.”
The board voted unanimously to host the meeting and ask MSBA to administer the surveys.
Multiple hirings delayed
The board on Monday also took up several hiring requests for both instructional and administrative positions, but many of them failed to move forward.
While the district approved hiring a new principal for Sale Elementary, an athletic director and a testing/special services coordinator, a subsequent request to approve more than 10 positions – including teachers, administrators and custodial positions – died without a second. Another request that included hiring information system specialists and a human resources assistant also died without a second.
Another request to hire an assistant principal for Hunt Intermediate Academy failed. Hunt is set to reopen to fifth- and sixth-graders this fall.
Interim Superintendent Craig Chapman told the board adding another assistant principal position at Hunt would help the school manage discipline more effectively as the two grades come together for the first time. With fifth grade being one with a higher count of disciplinary referrals, Chapman said having one administrator dedicated to discipline is critical.
“This was one of the years that was most concerning when it came to discipline because there were 140 of those referrals strictly for fifth graders,” he said. “I think we kind of have to be a little proactive as we move forward with this, with Hunt because I can see some positive things occurring once we have the right personnel in place.”
Trustee James Richardson questioned the data, saying some of the disciplinary referrals may only be a minor issue, like not bringing a pencil to the classroom, he said.
Chapman said the specific incidents he counted in the search ranged from fighting to harassing teachers. The point of the request, he said, is to be proactive about providing early intervention for disciplinary issues.
The new Hunt campus, which has been fully rebuilt since being destroyed by a 2019 tornado, was designed intentionally for that reason, Shumake said.
“One of the reasons that the new Hunt facility was designed for was exactly this – to catch discipline problems before they become habitual,” she said. “And it seems to me that having an assistant principal, an additional one, who will be able to help focus on this makes a lot of sense.”
The request was denied in a 3-2 vote, with Smith, Richardson and trustee Cynthia Brown opposing.
Smith told The Dispatch after the meeting the board will likely have to work out a virtual meeting time this week to revisit the personnel requests failed.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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