A familiar face is taking the reins at Marshall Elementary, while two new faces will greet students and teachers during the 2019-2020 school year.
During their meeting Monday, the Carroll County School Board approved hiring Kalilah Tate to replace Dr. Fletcher Harges as principal of Marshall Elementary.
Tate, who’s from Greenwood, currently works a literacy coach at Marshall. Ferguson said she’s been in education for 14 years and is qualified and experienced to lead the students and teachers of Marshall.
Harges has been hired as principal at Greenwood High School and will stay on with Marshall until his contract ends.
“They know her, they’re familiar with her, and I think she’ll do well,” Ferguson told the board.
Tate said she’s ready to work and she’s excited for the next school year.
“I work with Pre-K through third grade teachers and fourth and fifth grade teachers as needed. I’m in their classrooms all the time, I’m observing, teaching, modeling, helping with professional development, co-teaching, helping with their PLCs, so I’m very familiar with the teachers at Marshall,” Tate said.
After the meeting, Tate was met with a small celebration from her co-workers.
“I just look forward to moving the school forward. My job is to improve student achievements,” she said, adding that her goal is move students up a level. For example, she hopes to move a student who’s at a Level 3 to a Level 4.
Also, the board hired Nathan Moncrief as assistant principal for J.Z. George High School. Moncrief, who currently works at Carroll Academy, will replace Alex Rawls, who resigned as assistant principal and athletic director back in December.
Currently, Marshall Guess is the interim athletic director. Guess was recommended for the position by Ferguson after Rawls resigned.
Dr. Wendy Hubbard, former superintendent of the Montgomery County School District, was hired as assistant superintendent and SPED Director, replacing Rana Mitchell. Ferguson said when Montgomery County and Winona Separated School Districts consolidated, Hubbard finished out with MCSD and was hired on to the Mississippi Department of Education in July.
Tate was in the audience when the recommendations were announced, but Moncrief and Hubbard were not able to attend. Board members Stella Washington-Bell and Donnie Wiltshire asked Ferguson to have Moncrief and Hubbard come and introduce themselves to the board.
“We need to be able to have eyes on them,” Wiltshire said.
Washington-Bell voted no for the hires stating that it wasn’t that she wouldn’t move forward, but Tate was the only person who appeared at the meeting.
“I just think that they should come before the board and introduce themselves to us, I mean they’ve voted them in now, but I just think they should have came before the board.”
“That would be kind of hard for Mrs. Hubbard,” Ferguson said. “She’s in Ocean Springs monitoring state tests. We had someone come up and do the same thing. Being that she’s so far away, it would’ve been hard for her to get here.”
“Well, let’s just have them come to the next board meeting,” Board President Kenneth DeLoach said.
