Lauderdale County School Board picks group to lead superintendent search
Published 5:15 pm Thursday, February 1, 2018
- file photo The Lauderdale County School Board is looking for a successor to Randy Hodges, who is retiring this summer. A forum for parents to share what they want in a leader for the district is planned for 5:15 p.m. on March 8 at Northeast Middle School.
The Lauderdale County School Board selected an organization Thursday to lead the search for a new school superintendent, expected to begin on July 1.
School board members voted unanimously during a special called meeting to select the Clinton-based Mississippi School Boards Association to lead the search for Superintendent Randy Hodges’ successor.
Hodges will retire in June after more than four decades in public education.
This search will mark among the first statewide of school districts that previously elected school superintendents. In 2016, the state passed a law eliminating election as a method of selecting county school superintendents.
The Lauderdale County School Board will negotiate a contract with the next school district leader, a position that pays $120,439 annually. The board will likely vote on Feb. 15 to formalize the consulting contract with MSBA.
School board members seemed in agreement on choosing the MSBA to lead the search. The association began a service in 2006 to assist school districts with superintendent searches, conducting more than 80 searches to fill the top position at school districts throughout the state. Searches recently filled by the organization include school districts in Quitman, Laurel, and Newton.
“Based on the past experience, that would be the better group to go with,” District 2 school board member Kelvin Jackson said during the meeting.
Performance Based Education Company also pitched services to lead the search.
The contract for consulting services will likely cost Lauderdale County taxpayers $9,500 along with costs the school board association incurs with the search. The other company proposed a fee of $500 less with a cap on charges for expenses incurred but had significantly less experience leading school superintedent seraches.
Lauderdale County school board President Barbara Jones said deciding on an organization to lead the search now allows the board to begin considering process issues such as whether to allow a public or private search, a timeline, and meetings with groups associated with the school district and other considerations.
“Depending on the number of applicants we have, we may want to narrow the search to five finalists,” Jones said.
