Three former superintendents, a high school principal and an administrator make up the five candidates being considered for the South Pike School District superintendent post.
They are South Pike High School principal Warren Banks, former South Pike superintendent Dr. Maggie Griffin, South Pike School District chief of academics Dr. Lynda Taylor, former Amite and Wilkinson high school principal Dr. Estes Taplin and former Amite County Superintendent Deborah Hopf.
District trustees announced the names of the five at a second public forum Tuesday night at the Grace Lane Leggett Auditorium.
“We received 21 applications, some as far off as Maryland and Virginia,” school board president Sam Hall said. “We had a process we went by. So out of 21 applications there are five applicants that we will take to the next step.”
Whoever gets the job will replace Dr. Bill Gunnell, who did not seek renewal of his contract.
Banks has been principal of South Pike High School since 2007. He taught for 22 years in McComb schools and a year at Gloster Elementary before that.
Griffin was South Pike superintendent from 2002 to 2005. She replaced longtime South Pike administrator Charles Andrews.
In 2005, South Pike trustees decided not to renew Griffin’s contract, citing a tumultuous 2004-05 school year that saw administrative changes, teacher discontent and student walk-outs.
Three of the trustees who voted 3-2 against renewing Griffin’s contract — Angia Jones Lee, John Hilbert and Dr. Luke Lampton — are still on the school board.
Griffin was a principal at McLaurin Elementary School in Rankin County for 10 years before coming to South Pike. After leaving South Pike, she became director of curriculum for the Laurel School District.
Taylor taught in the McComb schools for more than 20 years and was principal of Kennedy Elementary and Higgins Middle schools before taking her current job at South Pike.
Hopf served one term as Amite County School District’s elected superintendent from 2008 through 2011. She lost her post to former teacher Scotty Whittington in the November general election.
Hopf had served as the district’s assistant superintendent and director of testing and curriculum.
In addition to serving as principal at Amite and Wilkinson County high schools, Taplin has been superintendent of the South Delta School District in Rolling Fork and at Baker, La., where he was terminated in September 2010. Taplin filed a lawsuit for wrongful termination.
Trustee Eva Andrews said the interviewing process will begin within the next two weeks.
Hall said the board will discuss whether or not to hold a public forum for candidates to answer questions from citizens.
“What we are trying to do with this is get the entire community involved,” he said.
Hall and other trustees said the next phase of selection involves a stringent interview and background check.
“In the interview process there are going to be a lot of policy questions. These candidates are going to be held accountable for everything they’ve put in their application,” Hall said.
