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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Hattiesburg Public School District officials are officially searching for a new superintendent.
Marcus Cathey, president of the district's board of trustees, said the application process closed Friday and the board will soon begin evaluating the candidates, reported the Hattiesburg American (http://hatne.ws/1VmLYqM). The board is looking for someone to replace James Bacchus, who resigned in December.
Upon Bacchus's resignation, the district had a severely depleted fund balance for the 2014-2015 school year.
The Mississippi School Boards Association is helping the board with the search and handled the initial application process.
Board members will find out at the May meeting how many applications have been received and where they are from. Interviews are expected to begin the second week of May.
"MSBA will vet all the candidates and report to the board the strengths and weaknesses of each one," Cathey said. "The board will then discuss all candidates and select the ones it wishes to interview."
The board hasn't made any decisions about involving community members in the selection process, Cathey said. During the last superintendent search, in 2010, the board brought three candidates to Hattiesburg for a community meeting where they answered questions from the public.
Interim superintendent Greg Ladner's term ends June 30.
"We anticipate having someone here by July 1," Cathey said. "If not, MSBA has agreed to work with us to find someone to serve during the transition."
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Information from: The Hattiesburg American, http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com
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