The Carroll County School Board has begun its superintendent search. During a special called work session, board members voted for member Donnie Wiltshire to talk to Mark Waldrip of the Mississippi School Board Association about prices and what consultants can do to guide the board to making an informed decision.
Wiltshire said the price was between $3,000 and $5,000 for an abbreviated search and $9,000 to $12,000 for a full search. Member John Philips said he was told it was a little lower, beginning at $2,000.
“I do remember him saying it depended on the district and for a rural district like us, it could be lower,” Wiltshire said.
“We’re going to have to come up off some money,” said Board member Stella Washington-Bell.
“Y’all said y’all didn’t want to do it that way, so I figured we should do it this way,” Wiltshire said. “But, when I brought the first guy in (from the Mississippi Educational Search Consortium) I was all for them doing it for us and I’m all for somebody else doing it.”
Philips said when Dr. Bill Wade presented in January, the MESC wanted the new superintendent in by April 1 and wanted them working.
“And when I tried to ask a question, he got kind of snarky and it rubbed me the wrong way,” he said.
Originally, the board wanted to conduct the search on its own, but, Tuesday night, after the board looked at brochures, vacancy notices, applications from other districts, and it began to have a more in-depth conversation about what they were looking for. It became apparent that it may be a little over their heads.
And some board members believe a different direction may be a better choice.
Washington-Bell said there are a lot of things the board needed to discuss more in depth and it is going to take more than a couple of hours to do it.
“We need to come here full, with something to snack on, ready to work,” she said. “We can’t do this. We can’t just come here and talk for a couple of hours and get home because y’all want supper. We have to work,” she said. “Our students, teachers, staff and community are counting on us to make the best decision. I have a child in this district and I don’t want someone coming in who don’t have her best interest at heart. What if we pick the wrong person?”
Washington-Bell said she doesn’t feel the board can handle an entire search on their own with only a few night meetings.
“They have people who are experienced to do this, we are not. We cannot do this,” she said.
The board went through the process of breaking down what they were looking for in the new superintendent before making a decision.
Because he’s the person who’s made contact with the Mississippi School Board Association, Wiltshire guided the board through what he was told.
Wiltshire said the MSBA will screen applicants to ensure they are licensed and meet the criteria to be considered for the job of Superintendent in Carroll County. To apply for the job, an applicant must submit a: formal letter of interest, completed superintendent application, a current resume and an official copy of all college/university transcripts. The transcripts must be in a sealed envelope. The job will be open to anyone who wishes to apply and does not matter if they have retired from a former position.
A discussion came about from the question if the board needed a formal letter of interest from candidates. Wiltshire said the letter isn’t required and is left up to the discretion of the board.
“We need that,” Stella Washington-Bell said. “We need to know if they can write and if they show any interest in the job.”
The board decided instead of emailing the application, they must be mailed.
“She told me, she didn’t say where, but in one district an applicant applied and sent their packet through e-mail and it didn’t get through until 6:30 and they didn’t qualify,” Wiltshire said.
Salary was the next topic. Superintendent Billy Joe Ferguson currently makes less than $25,000 because he’s retired. Whoever the board, however, may make more than that. The question is where the board is going to acquire the money if necessary.
“We have to know what our floor amount is going to be and what our ceiling is going to be and where we’re going to get it from,” Washington-Bell said.
The board agreed that Business Manager Brett Reynolds needed to be at future meetings to iron out the details of the salary.
The board then discussed the decision of residency.
“It may be hard for them to find a place for them to stay around here,” Board attorney Lori Bell said. “So, you might want to consider how far out you want to go.”
Bell said since most people work out of Carroll County, they should put the radius in the same distance.
Which brought about another question, are they going to include the public in on the entire process.
“No, I don’t think so,” Wiltshire said of the involving the public.
“So, we are going to make this decision ourselves without the input of our stakeholders, our children, faculty, staff, nothing,” Washington-Bell said. “We’re just going to do this on our own? I think we’re stepping into a hornet’s nest and we’re already getting blamed for stuff now.”
The board also discussed a multitude of other issues surrounding the search.
With all the outstanding issues, the board decided to hold another meeting and to have work sessions throughout the process of hiring a superintendent.
