Video: Columbus Names New Superintendent

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — A veteran big city educator will get a chance to make his mark on a small-town school district.

By a 3-2 vote Friday morning, the Columbus school board named Dr. Philip Hickman the district’s new superintendent. The four-year contract will pay Hickman $175,000 a year.

Hickman is a top administrator with the Houston, Texas school district, the seventh largest in the country. He was among two finalists narrowed down from an original field of almost 60 people who applied for the job in late May.

Edna McGill had served as interim superintendent since Dr. Martha Liddell was ousted in June 2013.

Board members Jason Spears and Glenn Lautzenhiser were the two ‘no’ votes.

Hickman’s experience with low-income students and his relative youth were both among the factors cited by school staff as reasons for his selection.

School leaders say their first goals will be school and community meetings to craft a long-term plan to improve student achievement and college work, teacher retention and community support.

“A lot of experience working with the demographics of students in this type of district. He has a track record where he has been able to come in and make changes to turn districts around,” School Board President Angela Verdell said.
“So there are a lot of things we can look back to see how much progress was actually made. And we do know that progress won’t happen overnight. We do know that it’s going to be a cycle, and it’s probably going to take at least three or four years to realize what the accomplishments have been,” she continued.

The district thinks new ratings to be released in the next two months will raise the district’s score to a ‘C’.
Hickman takes over the 4,500-student district on July 28. As part of the contract, the board did stipulate that it must approve any outside consulting work done by the new superintendent. Hickman has his own consulting business and Lioddell ran into issues with the board about outside consulting before she was forced out.

Spears said he wanted to make sure it is clear the new superintendent is focused on the district and achievement and not outside interests.

FROM DR. PHILIP HICKMAN’S LINKED IN PAGE
Current Assistant Superintendent at HISD
Founder/CEO at K-12 Consultants
Past Assistant Superintendent/ Director of Education at Genesis Promise Academy
Vice Chair at Turn The Page KC
Board Member Freedom School at Children’s Defense Fund
Education Committee Member at Urban Summit see less
Education Saint Louis University
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
University of Missouri-Columbia
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Summary
Assistant Superintendent, in the Academic Services. I work in the seventh-largest school district in the United States with 283 Schools and 210,047 Students. In my role, I lead the following departments: academics, health and medical services, UIL, after-school programs, psychological services, elementary counseling services, state compensatory education/homeless services, and behavioral support services. I also lead the implementation of a district-wide Multi-Tiered System of Supports and district-wide attendance initiative all to strengthen academic achievement for all.
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Experience
Assistant Superintendent HISD Educational Institution; 10,001+ employees; Education Management industry
July 2013 – Present (1 year 1 month)
Assistant Superintendent, in the Academic Services. I work in the seventh-largest school district in the United States with 283 Schools and 210,047 Students. In my role, I lead the following departments: academics, health and medical services, UIL, after-school programs, psychological services, elementary counseling services, state compensatory education/homeless services, and behavioral support services. I also lead the implementation of a district-wide Multi-Tiered System of Supports and district-wide attendance initiative.
Founder/CEO K-12 Consultants
2010 – Present (4 years)
Assistant Superintendent/ Director of Education Genesis Promise Academy Internet industry
July 2010 – July 2013 (3 years 1 month)
Vice Chair Turn The Page KC
December 2012 – April 2013 (5 months)
Board Member Freedom School Children’s Defense Fund Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; Nonprofit Organization Management industry
2011 – 2013 (2 years) Kansas City, Missouri Area
Education Committee Member Urban Summit
2011 – 2011 (less than a year) Kansas City, Missouri Area
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Volunteer Experience & Causes
Volunteer Experience
Centurions
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
2013 – present (1 year)
Centurions is a two-year program focused on building community awareness through civic opportunities and on community issues that affect Greater Kansas City.
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Honors and Awards
Crystal Apple Award Fox 4
April 2012
Recognition of outstanding Kansas City educators
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Languages
•Spanish (polite)
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Publications
A problem based learning project investigating the underlying dimensions of professional learning communities in public primary and secondary schools in the state of Missouri ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346|December 1, 2009
Authors: Dr. Philip Hickman
The professional learning community (PLC) model for enacting school improvement through ameliorated educator leadership efficacy and instructional proficiencies has become one of the most popular methods for encouraging higher student achievement in public schools across the State of Missouri. By reviewing the current educational research on the successful implementation of PLCs, the project team…more
Dr. Philip Hickman’s Education
Saint Louis University Doctorate & Ed.S, Educational Leadership
2006 – 2009
Activities and Societies: Alpha Phi Alpha
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville MS, Educational Administration
2005 – 2006
University of Missouri-Columbia Ed.S, M.Ed, BS, Education, School Psychology, & Speech Pathology
1994 – 2000
Activities and Societies: Football Player, Alpha Phi Alpha, Debate, Honors, American Psychological Association, Sign Language Club, Young Educators