McComb school trustees on Tuesday decided on a March 5 date to hold stakeholder meetings with administrators, teachers and the community as they move to select a new superintendent.
Dr. E. Harold Fisher of the Mississippi School Boards Association, with which the district has contracted, addressed the school board and outlined the process of finding a new leader for the school district. Superintendent Therese Palmertree announced in January that she would retire this summer because of family obligations.
Fisher recommended a five-week selection process that will begin after the district gives the MSBA its list of criteria for a superintendent candidate.
Fisher strongly suggested the board get community and district feedback before sending the MSBA its criteria.
“You want to get the community’s idea of what they’d like in a superintendent and incorporate that into the criteria,” Fisher said. “What characteristics do they want to see? Each community has a particular need. What you want is community involvement.”
Fisher will conduct one-hour meetings on March 5 — with teachers at 4 p.m., administrators at 5 and the public at 6. He said he prefers that school board members not attend the community meeting. He will give a summary of all suggestions to board members.
“The emphasis will be on criteria and that’s it,” he said.
That may include the request that all candidates have doctorate degrees, although doing so would narrow the pool of candidates.
But Fisher reminded the board that having a doctorate “is not the end all be all.”
After trustees decide on the list of qualities they’re looking for in a superintendent, the MSBA will publish a brochure and begin advertising the position on March 25.
Fisher reminded trustees that all of them will get information from the MSBA at the same time.
The board voted to advertise with 30-day online postings with the American Association of School Administrators, the National Alliance of Black School Educators and Agent K-12/Education Week. Advertisement on the MSBA site is standard with the contract with the school district.
The search will close on April 29.
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In a specially called meeting on Tuesday the board:
• Approved the single-source purchases of Educational Leadership Solution software and materials for $15,000, as well as $10,000 to NeoEdu for the T.S. Nexus online mathematics program and $9,000 for the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools packets, which will be used at McComb’s Freedom School summer education site.
• Noted the retirement of Business & Technology Complex director Tommy Catchings on June 30 and Denman Junior High School teacher Nadene Ritchie.
• Accepted the resignations of McComb High School teacher Lelia Strozier and Otken Elementary School assistant teacher Tracy Harness. The board also approved adding one assistant teacher at Otken and approved Yosheeman McKenzie as a child nutrition substitute and Broderick Taplin as a substitute teacher.
