At least 13 people want to be the next superintendent of the East Tallahatchie School District, and the district's school board will meet May 17 to learn more about those prospects.
At that time, the Mississippi School Boards Association is scheduled to make a presentation unveiling the list of the 13 who formally applied for the school chief’s position between March 31 and April 28, according to ETSD board President Bryant Watson.
“It shows a lot of interest” that so many people completed an application and submitted a lengthy list of required supporting documents, he noted.
“That gives us a good pool to look at and choose from,” Watson added. “We’ll do the best we can to try to get the best person possible to get us moving.”
The district hired MSBA to conduct the superintendent search after third-year super Dr. Darron Edwards announced in January that he would not return to the post after his contract expires June 30.
Bryant Watson
MSBA advertised the position on its website and then accepted and vetted information submitted by candidates.
MSBA is expected to recommend to the board Monday a short list of candidates to interview who are deemed best suited to meet the qualifications of what the district is seeking in a superintendent, said Watson, who added that the board is not bound by those recommendations and can interview and hire anyone.
After MSBA’s presentation, the board will decide who, and how many, to call for interviews.
Watson said the hope is that a new superintendent can be hired “by the first week of June.” That person would take office on July 1 for the start of what the board president would like to see become a long and successful partnership with the district.
“The school districts that are most formidable are the ones that have an in-place superintendent for years and years and years,” Watson said. “That’s kind of my hope, that we will get one who is a good fit and have that person around for a long time.”
In addition to a stellar resume and a sound track record, Watson said the board will require someone to “be a good communicator all the way around with all entities involved ... work with the community and [make it a] total team effort.
“That, and hit the ground running ... and push forward on an agenda ... to do what’s best for the children. That’s the main thing to keep in mind in whatever we’re doing — [it is] for the children. If we can keep that in mind and be guided by that, I think we’ll be all right.”
Watson said once a hire is made, change will begin.
“It’s going to take a while,” he noted. “You can’t say that anything that wasn’t right can be fixed overnight. It’s not going to happen. We wish it could, but it never is.
“So people will just have to know that it takes time to rearrange and get going in a different direction. There’s going to be some changes — some that people are going to like and some that they’re not, and that’s always the case. As my mama used to say, you can’t find a coat that fits everybody, but you do the best you can.”
