By Rupert Howell

South Panola school Trustees met in a special noon meeting Friday where they  took their list of qualifications to fill the superintendent’s position and combined it with suggestions made by three other groups including administrators, staff and the general public.

That list will now go to Mississippi School Boards Association who will include them in a brochure to be dispersed throughout the region in hopes that all qualified candidates interested will take note.

Retired Lafayette County Superintendent Mike Foster is filling the position in interim and gave a brief report of ongoing business at Friday’s meeting.

Board members also took Foster’s recommendation to make the new superintendent’s contract for two years and add additional years if the board is later satisfied the hire is a proper candidate for long term service.

Trustees also decided not to require applying candidates to have a PhD., approving a master’s degree in administration as a minimum education standard for the position. Trustees also revealed that the association had mentioned that many able candidates may be eliminated by the Ph.D requirement.

The trustee board took recommendations from each of three meetings held the previous week and amended their recommendations to include most of the suggestions from the group meetings.

Among the most mentioned qualities for the applicants to possess were living and being active  in the community, high moral standards and being equally fair in all staff and student matters.

Experience in conducting a bond issue campaign was an additional requirement added during Friday’s meeting. Board members briefly hinted at projects that would be the object of a bond issue including ninth grade building and football dressing room upgrade.

Board vice-president Lygunnah Bean said he would not be against using bond proceeds for athletic facilities reminding other trustees that bond projects in the last issue excluded athletic projects.

Since that issue facilities such as baseball and softball fields, concession stands, press box, bleachers and artificial surface have been built with either capital improvements funds set aside from normal operating expenses or donated funds.