Bill Allowing Boards To Appoint Replacements For Elected Supt. Okayed

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A bill heading to Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant would let school boards statewide appoint replacements for elected superintendents who resign in the next three years.

A 2016 state law makes all 55 elected superintendents appointed beginning in 2020.

The elected superintendent in Webster County resigned Dec. 31, and Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison, an Oxford Republican, says it would cost the county at least $50,000 to elect a successor to serve only part of a term.

Senators passed House Bill 32 the bill Tuesday with only two opposing votes. They rejected an amendment by Videt Carmichael, a Meridian Republican, limiting the bill only to Webster County.

Supporters say quick action was necessary to prevent Webster County from having to hold an election. The bill passed the House last week.