Columbus Municipal School District trustees have narrowed the applicant pool for superintendent to three finalists, and the public will meet them Thursday evening.
The board will interview each of the three finalists at 8 a.m. Thursday at Mississippi University for Women Fant Memorial Library. The finalists will address what they intend to accomplish over their first 100 days as superintendent, if selected, during a public forum at 6 p.m. at Joe Cook Elementary Auditorium, district Public Information Officer Mary Pollitz told The Dispatch.
Trustees are not releasing any information about the finalists, where they are from or their qualifications before Thursday, Pollitz said, per advice from board attorney Chris Hemphill.
Tommye Henderson, superintendent search manager with Mississippi School Boards Association, presented 10 qualified applicants to trustees during special-call executive sessions Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
Of the 10, an MSBA press release said nine are from Mississippi and one is from Michigan.
“Among the applicants are three superintendents, one assistant superintendent, two directors, and four principals,” the press release said.
“Seven of the applicants have a doctorate degree. Eight of the applicants are male, and two of the applicants are female.”
A director is a person who is a department head in a school district like director for academic affairs or director for finance, Pollitz said.
The board hired MSBA Association to lead the superintendent search in January. From there, the search firm established the criteria and qualifications the board seeks in a superintendent, held community and employee input meetings and created a survey for those who couldn’t attend the input meetings.
Applications for the position were open from Feb. 17 to March 17, and it was posted on MSBA’s website and shared with the National Superintendent Search Association, the press release from MSBA said.
CMSD has been without a full-time superintendent since former Superintendent Cherie Labat resigned in August. Retiree Dennis Dupree stepped in to run the district as interim superintendent from early September to mid-March. When Dupree’s contract was up, the board appointed Assistant Superintendent Craig Chapman to serve as interim superintendent until June 30 or until the board hires a new, full-time superintendent.
The public meeting on Thursday is the second time during the search the board has involved the public. MSBA held various meetings with district employees during two work days, then there was one meeting for parents and one for community members to give input on qualities they were looking for in a new superintendent.
“Results from all surveys were compiled by MSBA and provided to the board members for use in the interview process and as a foundation for making the decision as to who will be the new superintendent,” the MSBA press release said.
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