BENNETTSVILLE, SC (WBTW) – After more than 30 people from across the Southeast applied to be superintendent of Marlboro County Schools in March and April, the county school board continues to screen and interview the most-qualified candidates.
A community forum and opportunity for the public to meet with finalists is expected to be scheduled in coming weeks, said Lucy Parsons, chair of the Marlboro County Board of Education.
To date, seven candidates have been interviewed by the school board but no finalists have been selected. The board hopes to have a superintendent hired by the start of the new fiscal year July 1.
“We have been just thrilled at not only the number of people who applied for superintendent, but the number who were obviously highly qualified and who brought great experience and expertise to the table,” she said.
Marlboro County School District serves just under 4,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at eight schools.
“This is one of the most important decisions this school board will make, and we want to take our time, do the background checks and perform our due diligence on anyone we name as a finalist, and we certainly want to let the community interact with the finalists when we reach that point,” she said.
Acting Superintendent Dr. John Lane announced earlier this spring that he wouldn’t continue in the position after July 1. Former superintendent Dr. Helena Tillar, on administrative leave since July 2017, will see her contract expire June 30.
All told, 34 people applied for the superintendent position. There were 13 from South Carolina, 10 from North Carolina, and others from across the Southeast as well as Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Although the Board of Education has responsibility for governance and policies for the Marlboro County public school system, it has only one employee – the superintendent.
“We know we have some major challenges ahead of us, including upgrading our facilities and making sure our curriculum aligns with the state standards but also with what’s needed for our young people to find good jobs and careers,” Parsons said. “At the same time, those challenges are definitely opportunities for us, and we need a strong superintendent to take the reins.”
In addition to encouraging internal candidates to apply, the school board tapped its connections with the S.C. School Boards Association and the S.C. Association of School Administrators for help with recruiting qualified applicants.
