Two finalists named for Perryville superintendent

PERRYVILLE — The Perryville School Board has narrowed its list of superintendent applicants to two, and the men will be interviewed Monday night, Superintendent Ron Wilson said.

He said the two finalists are Jeff Magie, principal of Perryville Elementary School, and Walt Davis, superintendent of the Hector School District.

Brian Hill, president of the school board, said members would conduct second interviews.

“We’re hoping to have somebody hired by the first week of March,” Hill said. The job drew 29 applicants.

Wilson announced last year that he will retire at the end of the school year after 40 years in education, 10 in his current position.

The Perryville School District has 948 students in kindergarten through the 12th grade. The district’s enrollment has declined by 106 students in the past decade, Wilson said in an earlier interview.

The school board has discussed the possible need for a millage increase to pay for a high school cafetorium to be built north of the current one. The state will partner on the cost for up to 4,000 square feet, Wilson said, but the facility will be larger than that.

The Arkansas Department of Education assessed the existing cafeteria, built in the 1960s, as having “zero life left,” Wilson said. He said it is too small for the 440-plus students in grades seven through 12, and the proposed cafetorium would have a larger stage for concerts, plays and other school events.

Hill said the board has not made a decision about whether to seek a millage increase because the board is waiting to get approval for the project from the Arkansas Division of School Academic Facilities and Transportation, which has approved tearing down the existing cafeteria.

“Once we get our plan approved, we’re going to hire an architect or engineer,” Hill said.