The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees called off its superintendent search during a special-call meeting Monday. Apart from the $10,000 paid to the Mississippi School Board Association to conduct the search, halting the process was a reasonable move, especially when one of the two finalists selected from the MSBA’s pool of applicants left the field.

The remaining finalist was Assistant Superintendent Craig Chapman. The other finalist was not identified.

Instead, Chapman, who had been serving as interim superintendent since Stanley Ellis left the position in June, will continue in that role until at least January when, ostensibly, he could be hired outright or the search for a permanent superintendent could resume.

Suspending the search means Chapman will be provided a five-month audition for the job, and the board should respect that process by allowing Chapman to perform the duties of the superintendent without interference or micromanagement.

Chapman is already a known commodity to the board, having previously served as interim superintendent  from March 2023 until Stanley Ellis’ hiring two months later. That means Chapman will have been the acting superintendent for eight months over two stints by the end of December.

That Chapman was twice chosen as interim superintendent confirms that the board has some confidence in his ability to steer the ship, if not chart its journey.

As we noted at the time the CMSD Board chose a group of finalists earlier in the month, a superintendent walking to the position without any knowledge of the district would face a herculean challenge. School consolidation/school closures as the district shifts to a grade-span system, a $36 million bond package for district-wide upgrades and renovations, the fate of the now-closed Franklin Academy and the shift in accountability standards that are likely to threaten the district’s current “B” rating this fall will be things the superintendent will have to manage simultaneously.

That’s a lot to expect of anyone, so it’s incumbent upon the board to choose the best available candidate for the position.

If, in five months’ time, Chapman was demonstrated that he is up to the job, the board should move quickly to make him the permanent superintendent.

That said, the board should not accept less in a leader than the district can get. If Chapman has not proved himself to the board’s satisfaction by the end of the semester, trustees should not hesitate to reopen the search. But they should strongly consider a different firm to compile a pool of candidates given the dearth of qualified applicants the MSBA presented to the board in the current search.

Of the nine applicants, MSBA brought to the table, only three met the minimum qualifications, board president Robert Smith told The Dispatch. Of the two finalists, one was internal. The district didn’t need MSBA’s help to find Chapman.

Selecting a new firm is justified even with the additional cost to the district. This is no time for the board to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.