HPSD board to open schools chief search soon

Members of the Hattiesburg Public School District Board of Trustees will turn to the Mississippi School Boards Association in Clinton to help them with the search for a superintendent to replace James Bacchus, who resigned the post in December.

Bacchus left the district with a deficit in the 2014-15 budget, which interim superintendent Greg Ladner has been addressing with a spending freeze, salary cuts and layoffs.

Board president Marcus Cathey said members met in executive session at a special called meeting Thursday to begin discussing how they would replace Ladner.

“We discussed the Mississippi School Boards Association helping us to identify and locate qualified candidates for superintendent,” Cathey said, in an email. “We discussed the role of superintendent and some of the things he/she will need to work on when he/she takes over.

“We are working with the understanding that Dr. Ladner’s term will end on June 30 and are setting our time line accordingly.”

Cathey said the board will rely on the Mississippi School Boards Association because it has a great deal of experience in superintendent searches.

“We will be able to take advantage of its extensive network and membership,” he said. “The MSBA will assist us in identifying and locating quality candidates that meet our needs as a district.

“The MSBA will help guide board members through the various steps involved in selecting a superintendent.”

The last time the board conducted a search for a superintendent was in 2010 when it ultimately selected Bacchus. During that process, it brought three candidates to Hattiesburg for a community meeting where they answered questions the public had submitted in advance. Attendees were given the chance to fill out comment forms with feedback on the candidates after the event concluded.

Cathey said the community may be involved in the selection process again.

“The board will be brainstorming ways to effectively involve the community,” he said. “To date, we have had several suggestions as to how we can engage the community.

“I anticipate the board will make a decision on community engagement rather quickly.”

Cathey said he anticipates the superintendent position will be advertised soon. He said the board was not favoring any one geographic area for its search.

“Right now, we are focusing on qualified candidates, not the specific search areas,” he said.

Cathey said the next step is to officially open the search and begin identifying qualified candidates.

“We will be working closely with the MSBA throughout the process,” he said.