After nearly five months without a permanent superintendent, the Columbus Municipal School District is ready to move forward in the search, releasing a 12-point list of criteria Thursday that will be used to advertise for candidates.
The list, compiled by CMSD board members, is based upon a series of meetings in which the school board, city school administrators and personnel, teachers, parents and members of the community outlined characteristics they felt were important in the next superintendent.
At the top of the list: A doctorate degree is preferred, a valid Mississippi administrator license is required and the desired candidate must be willing to work cooperatively with the board.
Experience in financial management and budgeting, commitment to community engagement and parental involvement and successful experience working with a diverse minority/majority population also made the list.
The remaining six criteria include: Ability to develop and articulate a vision for the district, effective communications skills, leadership and innovation in curriculum development, data-driven teaching and administrative experience, long-term planning skills and being goal-oriented to meet or exceed state accountability standards for students.
The list will be used in a brochure created and distributed by the Mississippi School Boards Association, which was hired by CMSD in July to conduct the search. MSBA is also leading searches for the Starkville, Tupelo and Oxford school districts.
Once the brochure has been approved by the school board, MSBA will begin advertising in regional and national publications. Lautzenhiser said he expects ads for the position to remain open until the end of January.
Although MSBA is handling the candidate solicitations, all applications will be presented to the CMSD board, which will make the final decision on which candidates to interview and which final candidate to hire. MSBA does not screen applicants or make recommendations.
The superintendent’s role has been filled by Interim Superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell since May, after former superintendent Del Phillips resigned to accept a position as Director of Schools for the Sumner County School System in Gallatin, Tenn.
People who would like to apply for the position or follow the process can visit msbaonline.org.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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