Three finalists for Columbus Municipal School District’s superintendent opening will present their cases to the public at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Joe Cook Elementary School auditorium.
Otha Belcher, an assistant superintendent with Jackson Public Schools; Lois Kappler, a former Joe Cook principal who is a project manager with the Mississippi State University Research and Curriculum Unit; and Cherie Labat, assistant superintendent with Bay-Waveland School District, are all vying to become the next CMSD superintendent.
Each will give a five-minute presentation highlighting their strategies for leading the district. Then they will answer questions submitted by members of the public.
CMSD board president Jason Spears said the district accepted question submissions online. If time permits Thursday, he said audience members could submit more on-site.
A livestream of the meeting also will be available at CMSD’s website.
The three finalists were among 19 qualified applicants for the position. CMSD’s board plans to meet at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Brandon Central Services to approve a hire.
Whomever the board chooses will replace Philip Hickman, who was fired in February after less than four years with the district. The board elected in November not to renew Hickman’s contract beyond its June 30 expiration.
Deputy Superintendent Craig Shannon has been serving as interim superintendent during the search.
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