Three finalists for the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s upcoming superintendent vacancy will meet district stakeholders and interview with the school board today, Friday and Monday.
The SOCSD Board of Trustees developed a shortlist of preferred candidates Tuesday out of a pool of 43 applicants. The finalists are Tupelo School District Assistant Superintendent Eddie Peasant, Scott County School District Superintendent Tony McGee and Tullahoma, Tennessee, School District Superintendent Dan Lawson.
Each candidate will meet with various groups of stakeholders — district administrators, educators and staff; business and elected leaders; Mississippi State University representatives; and members of the community — in day-long sessions.
Peasant begins the schedule today with a tour of the community and selected campuses, and he will interview with the school board in executive session at 6:30 p.m.
Three special-called meetings have been announced ahead of the interviews with trustees, and agendas for each session list those dialogues as the only business before the board.
A similar schedule is set for Lawson on Friday and McGee on Monday.
A hiring decision is expected this month. The new superintendent will officially take over July 1.
Candidate backgrounds
Peasant has served as a TSD assistant superintendent since 2014. In his role, he oversees secondary education. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern Mississippi and holds a master’s degree from Mississippi College. He previously served as Clinton High School’s principal for six years.
McGee has nine years of experience leading school systems. He has served as Scott County Schools’ superintendent for two years and previously served as Kosciusko’s school leader for seven years. He holds two degrees from Mississippi State University, including a doctorate, and a master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Lawson has served as Tullahoma School District’s superintendent since 1997. He earned a doctorate from the University of Mississippi in 1993 and also holds degrees from the University of Missouri and Missouri State University. His previous work experience includes stints as a principal and district superintendent with the Mountain Grove, Missouri, School District.
‘An exciting time’
The search to replace retiring Superintendent Lewis Holloway yielded 43 total applicants, which is twice as many received in the process that eventually landed the former Georgia educator in Starkville.
The amount of interested applicants reflect a “greater interest in the district and the position,” said outgoing SOCSD Board of Trustees President Jenny Turner in a release.
“It is an exciting time for our community and our district as we prepare to break ground on one of the most innovative schools, from programs to facilities, for sixth and seventh grades in the Southeast,” she said in the statement. “We’re ready to take the next step in the search process to identify the person who can best lead the district forward.”
Whittling the shortlist down to three candidates was a tough process, said school board member Keith Coble, since the small selection meant “very good candidates did not make the cut.”
“All of the finalists bring strong resumes, but I think the community will see each is unique,” he said.
Holloway will step away from his leadership role June 30, at the end of the 2016-17 academic year, concluding 43 years in education.
He joined the Starkville School District in 2012 before the Legislature mandated it merge with the Oktibbeha County School District in 2015.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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