The finalists interviews, previously scheduled for April 21 & 22, are postponed until further notice.
Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA), the search firm hired by the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board, released three finalists today, but the board had concerns with the list and requested to receive the full list of finalists before moving forward.
HYA proposed the following finalists out of 34 candidates.
Dr. Brenda Cassellius, the former superintendent of Boston Public Schools and East Metro Integration District in Maplewood, MN, as well as a former Commissioner of Education for the State of Minnesota. Dr. Casselius also served as a Middle School Superintendent of Memphis City Schools (MCS) under former MSCS Superintendent, Dr. Carol R. Johnson.
Dr. Carlton Jenkins, the current superintendent of Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison, Wisconsin and former superintendent of Robinsdale Area Schools in New Hope, Minnesota and Saginaw Public Schools in Michigan. He also served as Chief Academic Officer in Atlanta Public Schools.
Toni Williams, the current interim superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools following the resignation of Dr. Joris Ray. Prior to that, Williams served as the Chief Financial Officer of MSCS and Millington Municipal Public Schools.
“Our board had some concerns with the finalists who were proposed by HYA and its process for selection, so we are taking a step back. HYA will contact all candidates and ensure they are willing to remain in the process, then we will publicly release the list for full transparency," said Althea Greene, MSCS Board Chair. “While we believe all of the proposed finalists are viable, we must have a level of confidence that they are truly the best for this critical role.”
For now, finalist interviews previously scheduled for next week have been canceled. All resumes and other material related to the finalists will be shared once the finalists have been confirmed.
Information provided by KQ Communications, who is coordinating media relations and promotion for the MSCS Superintendent Search.