Recruiters get input about what to look for in TASD superintendent
TEXARKANA, Ark. — About 50 attendees gathered Thursday at the Texarkana Arkansas School District administration building to share their thoughts on the future superintendent.
The search for a new superintendent began in December 2023, when Dr. Becky Kesler announced she would be resigning from the position effective June of this year.
Dr. Kieth Williams and Wayne Gibson, consultants from recruitment firm Mcpherson and Jacobson LLC, led a forum for members of the public to give input on the region, strengths of the district, traits the superintendent needs to have and issues the superintendent will face.
Williams acknowledged the time that the attendees were taking to come to the meeting and said they were all important stakeholders in the search process.
“We started this morning with the students, and boy, did we get some good answers from the students,” Williams said. “Then we went to the classified, and then we had administrators, and then we had teachers.”
Those in attendance shared positive thoughts about the Arkansas side, saying that the area has lots of generational pride, is safe for families, has good medical facilities and an expanding airport, and is a strong faith-based community.
Lloyd Douglas, a Texarkana, Arkansas, police officer, said he was personally invested in the district, citing the department’s partnership with the district through its PRIDE program.
“Our school district is in a bad state right now. We’re only a couple of years before the state comes down here and takes over,” Douglas said. “I want the superintendent to get in here and get things under control and work with the staff we have to stop that.”
Audience members spoke of the newly organized Bright Futures initiative as one of the benefits of the district.
The initiative works to bridge gaps between students and resources, such as food, reading skills and hygiene products. Other benefits of the district mentioned were strong leadership and teachers, decent extracurricular sports programs, and partnerships with local higher education institutions.
“I just want to make sure that we get somebody in here that the rest of the staff can work well with and keep a lot of the pressure off them, where they can just go into the classroom and teach,” Douglas said.
Attendees mentioned a variety of traits they desired for the future superintendent, such as being personable and being willing to visit with parents and staff at events, having experience with leading a larger district, and implementing a strong curriculum. Additional traits wanted were being consistent and strong with disciplinary measures, having knowledge of vocational training, and the ability to build strong relationships.
Arkansas resident and businessman Curt Green said he was very concerned about the state’s workforce.
“I know how important to the industry that a workforce is. A good workforce can only come about with a good education,” Green said. “And right now, everybody’s hurting because we’re not graduating seniors that are qualified to get in the workforce.”
Discussed issues that the future superintendent would face were diverse, ranging from early literacy gaps to losing students to Texas-side schools with more extracurricular opportunities such as theater. Additional issues mentioned during the forum were the lack of activities for students with disabilities, such as Special Olympics, as well as lack of support and resources for special education teachers.
A parent shared their concerns over lack of assistance with college and scholarship applications, while community members said the middle school was overcrowded.
Williams and Gibson both stayed once the forum was completed to listen to community members and transcribed their concerns for the search committee.
Those who wish to share their input with the search committee may do so via these links, which will be open for comment until Thursday. For the survey in English, visit surveymonkey. com/r/texarkanaarenglish. For the survey in Spanish, visit surveymonkey.com/r/ Texarkanaarspanish.