Finalist interviews with 4 Sumter School District superintendents over 4 meetings begin Monday

On Monday, it begins again as the Sumter School District Board of Trustees welcomes the first of four finalists for final interviews in the search for its next superintendent.

Each evening, Monday through Thursday, the full Board of Directors will interview a finalist in a closed executive session to be the new district leader on July 1.

All four nights will officially be council meetings – since a majority of council members will be in attendance – in the auditorium at Sumter High School and will begin at 7 p.m., and a district staff member has posted the agenda online. of the Monday-Friday meeting.

Tonight’s meeting will be unique as it is in fact the regular monthly working session of the administrators. After the interview with the finalists, the full board will return in open session to discuss monthly financial reports and other agenda items.

District Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Miller is due to present the report on general fund revenues and expenditures through March 31, along with the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023, as per the agenda.

After his presentation, the full board can approve the first reading of next year’s budget. If the district is considering a mileage increase, the administration must go through Sumter County Council within the next two months for approval.

The finalist interview schedule coincides with each nominee’s day to visit the district and will be Sam Whack Jr. on Monday, David Laws Jr. on Tuesday, William Wright on Wednesday and MiUndrae Prince on Thursday.

It is customary for all board interviews of superintendent candidates to be held in executive session and behind closed doors.

Like all board-related meetings, the four-night block of meetings is open to the public.

Public participation will not be part of any of the meetings as it is reserved for the first regular board meeting of each month, and which took place on April 11 at Bates Middle School.

For those not physically participating, the district continues to stream the meetings live on YouTube.

Anyone wishing to attend meetings virtually can do so via YouTube Sumter School District Board Meeting and the district’s Facebook page, @SumterSCSchools.

It is important to note that prior to each evening’s meeting at 7 p.m., the district will host a one-hour community reception at 6 p.m. in the Sumter High common area for the public to meet and speak briefly with each candidate.

Finalists’ day in the district includes meeting with many administrators and teachers and a tour of the schools before the community reception and final board interview in the evening.

The council and district plan to announce the new superintendent in early May. The expected start date for the next leader is July 1. Outgoing Superintendent Penelope Martin-Knox’s contract ends on June 30, and her last day in office will actually be in early June before she begins her new position as superintendent in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. , July 1. She served three years in the role of Sumter.