TASD looks at next steps in superintendent search

TEXARKANA, Ark. — Texarkana Arkansas School District considered its next steps Tuesday in its search for a new superintendent.

The regular Board of Education meeting played host to recruitment consultants Kieth Williams and Wayne Gibson, of Mcpherson and Jacobson L.L.C.

Williams said the superintendent job posting has attracted 17 applicants so far, with some from Arkansas and others outside the Natural State.

Williams said the next step in the process is for each Board member to select questions from a question bank or to submit their own. From the compiled list of questions, a set of questions will be created for the interview process.

“The goal, though, is to get about 22 or 23 questions for your interview,” Williams said.

The interview packets and three to five candidates will be presented to the Board on March 4. Williams also provided details on the interview process. Candidates will be interviewed by a group of high school students first, followed by an hour-long official interview.

“When that interview is over, we would like for somebody that’s got about 30 minutes of time to give them a tour of Arkansas High,” Williams said.

Williams said a classified focus group will then meet with the candidate for an hour. Afterward, the candidate will eat lunch with students.

“You can learn a lot about a candidate if you watch him or her move into a high school, where they don’t know any of the students, [and] interact with those students,” Williams said.

After the student lunch, the candidate will meet with an administrator focus group, visit more campuses, and complete the day with a teacher group interview.

“When we start looking at an application, we’re looking at those seven criteria … such as finance, academic experience, raising student achievement, discipline, staff reductions, increasing enrollment, community involvement, integrity and visibility,” Williams said. “Those are the keywords we will vet those applicants against that criteria.”

The search for a new superintendent was announced in December 2023, when current superintendent Dr. Becky Kessler announced her resignation, effective at the end of the current school year.

In other news, the board approved —

• the purchase to upgrade security cameras for all elementary campuses

• the purchase of multi-layered protective film for the entrances of all schools