Columbus Municipal School District has suspended its search for a new superintendent, at least until January.
In a special-call meeting held Monday at Brandon Central Services, the board voted unanimously not to hire from this round of applicants, instead extending Craig Chapman’s contract as interim superintendent through the semester, which ends Jan. 5.
Board President Robert Smith said timing, and the withdrawal of one of the two finalists from the superintendent search, both played a role in the board’s decision.
“We thought it was in the best interest of the school district at this time because school is getting ready to start and out of the two finalists that met the requirements … one withdrew,” Smith said. “… The board saw fit that we would make Mr. Chapman the interim.”
Smith confirmed that Chapman was one of the two finalists but would not confirm the identity of the finalist who withdrew.
Chapman, the district’s assistant superintendent, began serving as interim superintendent earlier this month, after former superintendent Stanley Ellis left the district to take a position in the Delta. Chapman also served briefly as interim in 2023 before the board hired Ellis.
Smith said that at the end of the semester, the board will consider either placing Chapman in the role permanently, or begin a new search.
“We’ll just make a decision from there,” Smith said. “There’s a possibility where the board could go ahead and hire Mr. Chapman, or we could go back and advertise. … If we decide to open up search again in January, then we will use (Mississippi School Boards Association) again.”
Chapman told The Dispatch on Tuesday he plans to use his time as interim superintendent to grow in the role.
“It does give me an opportunity to learn a different side of the administrative role … things I may not have seen,” Chapman said. “It just gives me the opportunity to learn more about the role as we move forward and a decision is made. … I believe there is an opportunity for permanent placement at the end.”
Smith declined to comment on the board’s hesitation to go ahead and hire Chapman outright.
Ellis announced his resignation in April. The board contracted with the Mississippi School Boards Association a month later to lead the search for his replacement.
The board had narrowed the search to two finalists from the original nine who applied.
Among the applicants, there were four superintendents, one director, one principal, two consultants and one adjunct professor, a press release from the district said. Five of the applicants had a doctorate degree. Four of the applicants were from Mississippi and the others were from Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Washington.
Of the nine applicants, Smith said only three met all of the district’s qualifications.
During a June meeting with MSBA, Smith expressed interest in recruiting Hilute Hudson, the current superintendent for Kemper County School District, to apply for the role. Hudson was a finalist for the CMSD superintendent position in 2023.
Smith and trustee James Richardson advocated for MSBA to reach out to Hudson about applying. Smith told The Dispatch in June he believed Hudson performed well the last time the board interviewed him.
Smith would not confirm if Hudson even applied for the position this round. However, Kemper County School Board member Chris Collins attended a CMSD board meeting July 10 and talked to Smith afterward.
Hudson could not be reached for comment by press time.
CMSD has paid MSBA $10,000 so far to lead this superintendent search. If the board chooses to open the search again in January, Smith said MSBA will only charge the district travel fees since this search ended before its completion.
MSBA led the last two searches for CMSD superintendents – in 2018, when the board hired Cherie Labat, and 2023 when it hired Ellis.
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