Members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board admit they don’t expect to be able to name a permanent superintendent by the start of the 2023/2024 school year.
“We, unfortunately, will not have a superintendent by the first day of school,” said board member Joyce Coleman.
Coleman’s comments came during Thursday night’s board retreat lead by former two-term board member and education advocate Tomeka Hart Wigginton. Members are utilizing the retreat to continue reevaluating the superintendent search and decide on the qualities and priorities each board member wants.
Board members discussed multiple priorities including a focus on the budget, sustainability, literacy, and parental support. The superintendent qualities members discussed prioritizing included political savvy, community advocacy, financial knowledge, and the ability to be a collaborator.
“It’s less about the words that are up there, but sort of the explanation that we all shared. We’re okay with there being a, you know all the buckets are not equally full, but we want somebody that we trust to know their gaps and find the right people to stand in them,” said board member Amber Huett-Garcia. “I’ve been a board member for less than a year, but this air about we can’t keep doing things the way we’ve done them, we’ve reached our threshold. So I think that was just a sense that I got from the way that we shared explanations.”
The board originally intended to have a new superintendent named by April, but board members weren’t pleased with the finalist selection process. The search was officially put on hold in early May so the board could focus on other end-of-school duties.
In mid-May the board began discussing the possibility of widening the search and members extended the timeline to August, in hopes of having a new superintendent by the first day of school.
Thursday members said this reevaluation has left them unsure if that new timeline will be possible.
“A question and somewhat concern and talking about our timeline decision. We’re talking through that. But I honestly do believe that because of our lack of doing this at the very beginning, it’s June, and if we need to go through all those steps that you are suggesting, if we choose to go that route, if it’s June now, by the time we get done, I highly doubt that we’ll have somebody by August. And I say this because I think it’s a disservice to the community. I think it’s a disservice to all stakeholders. But it’s on us,” said board member Sheleah Harris. “We have to own that wrong, collectively, that we have done all this time.”
Board members are planning to hold a series of meetings to continue discussing the superintendent search.
The next work session meeting will take place on Friday, June 9 to determine the next steps followed by a special-called meeting on June 13 to decide the new timeline.
