The search for a new superintendent to lead Memphis-Shelby County Schools took another unexpected turn Tuesday.
Former Boston Public Schools superintendent Brenda Casselius withdrew her name from the search, while search firm Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates recommended an additional candidate, MSCS deputy superintendent Angela Whitelaw.
The firm originally named three finalists for the position including Casselius, Madison Metropolitan School District superintendent Carlton Jenkins, and Interim Superintendent Tutonial “Toni” Williams.
Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates then added Whitelaw and New Jersey superintendent Keith Miles Jr. to the list of finalists Tuesday but Miles Jr. is now expected to become a superintendent in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The additions and subtractions follow Saturday’s decision to postpone finalist interviews for the position.
Tuesday, board chair Althea Greene addressed the need to move forward with complete transparency.
“It was very clear last Saturday that we were not ready to move on. And I wanted to make sure that all questions were answered before we continue in a process,” said Greene.
Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates has since recommended the district either move forward interviewing the remaining finalists or reopening the search in the fall.
The district is giving the public the option of voting which route to take online during the board’s business meeting this coming Tuesday.
Board Vice-Chair Sheleah Harris said she hopes this move will help restore community trust in the process.
“There has been a lack of transparency. I will be honest about that. It’s been a lack of transparency among board members, it’s been a lack of transparency to the community. I will own that. But moving forward, we are gonna have to do a little bit better,” said Harris.
Board member Keith Williams questioned whether the district should sever ties with the search firm because of problems with communications and other members had concerns about what will happen in the interim, while the board determines the best way to move forward.
“I just wanted to clarify for the public—when the word ‘transparency’ is thrown out there—that I believe that my colleagues and I were all acting in good faith because this is all about what’s best for the children of this district, all of our students and all of their families. So there certainly was not any clandestine effort on my part, I can speak for myself in this regard, to withhold any information, maybe the semantics, and perhaps got it confused somewhere over the last six months and we were holding community meetings and trying to provide as much information as possible at the website created specifically for this purpose. But as far as transparency, that is what I do in everything that I do in my life and with integrity,” said board member Michelle Robinson McKissak.
