Ninety-six percent of respondents to a Sun-Sentinel poll that asked, “Do you agree with the East Tallahatchie school board decision to terminate the contract of first-year Superintendent Marvell Hudson?” said they did not.
The poll went live on The Sun-Sentinel’s website, www.tallahatchienews.ms, at 8:52 a.m. Friday, June 23, with available options of “Yes,” “No,” and “I’m not sure.”
As of noon Tuesday, July 4, or a little more than 11 days later, a total of 618 people had cast a vote in the poll.
Of that number, 594, or 96%, selected “No,” meaning they do not agree with the school board’s recent decision.
Eighteen voters, or 3% of the total, chose “Yes,” indicating they do agree with the board action.
Six voters, or 1%, selected “I’m not sure.”
Hudson, a Charleston native, last year was given a two-year contract to serve as ETSD superintendent. He became the third superintendent of the district in as many years and the sixth to have held the office since the start of 2015.
Marvell Hudson is very popular among a group of respondents to a Sun-Sentinel poll. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
His term began July 1, 2022, and he was contracted to serve until June 30, 2024. However, the school board voted 3-2 in executive session June 8 to terminate the remainder of Hudson’s two-year deal.
To date, the board has not stated publicly why they chose to sever the district’s relationship with Hudson.
He himself has said only that the decision was about subjective “personal issues” versus objective ones.
Hudson, 53, appealed the termination. The board conducted a hearing on that appeal June 29 and has stated that it will render a “decision” in the matter no later than 10 working days after the hearing — or, presumably, by July 13.
Dr. George Gilreath of Brandon, whose profile on the social media network LinkedIn describes him as a “leadership coach/trainer,” reportedly has been named interim superintendent of ETSD. His profile shows Gilreath has professional degrees in elementary education, teaching and educational leadership.
