CHARLOTTE, N.C. — BWP & Associates, the consulting firm hired by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, will officially begin its search for the district's next superintendent on Monday.
"We've gotten a lot of interest already," Percy Mack of BWP & Associates, said.
The firm will spend the next two months searching for qualified applicants. Ultimately, Mack said the group's goal is to cull the search down to a select few candidates.
"We present a group of candidates, maybe four to six candidates to the board," Mack said. "Our job is to make it very difficult for them to pick one."
Mack said the CMS Board of Education has worked with BWP to outline the ideal candidate. The district has gone through five superintendents in the last 10 years, not including the current interim Crystal Hill.
The CMS board has worked with BWP to outline the ideal candidate. CMS leaders unanimously approved a $48,500 contract with BWP to lead the search.
"Someone who not only knows how to improve student achievement and close the gap but also someone who has worked in such large and diverse school districts as Charlotte-Mecklenburg," Summer Nunn, a CMS board member, said.
Mack said the position provides a unique opportunity for the new leader to collaborate with a new school board.
"That person can grow with the board," he said.
CMS has previously said it hopes to have the next superintendent by April.
The last time CMS had a full-time superintendent was April when then-superintendent Earnest Winston was fired. Upon his termination, Winston was granted a $24,000-a-month severance.
In the past 10 years, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has had five different superintendents.
After Winston's firing, Hugh Hattabaugh was brought on as interim superintendent and was expected to stay until June 2023. He departed the interim job before a new superintendent could be found. In December, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools named Crystal Hill the new interim superintendent.
Hattabaugh had previously been the CMS chief himself before Heath Morrison took over the office in 2012.
Upon the resignation of Morrison in 2014, Ann Clark was named interim superintendent for the district.
When Clayton Wilcox became superintendent in 2016 and resigned in 2019.
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