Superintendent Candidates Answer Questions From Community

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The search for a new superintendent in the Columbus Municipal School District could soon come to a close.

Thursday night the public had a chance to hear from the candidates looking to fill the position.

Many of the people seated at the Cook Elementary auditorium for the forum were teachers, but there were some parents in the mix, like Laurae Guyton, who said she has a son in high school.

She said she’s worried some students are not being prepared for college, and says the district needs to move forward.

“I’m tired of being stagnant, I’m ready for us to grown and go to the next level,” Guyton said.

Moderated by WCBI’s Joey Barnes, candidates were first given the opportunity to give a timed presentation.

Doctor Otha Belcher, Junior is an Assistant Superintendent for Jackson Public Schools. At the end of his presentation he asked members of the audience to stand up if they believed in the future of the district, and if they were willing to help make improvements, after that he told them to greet their neighbor.

Doctor Lois Kappler has lived in Columbus since 1990; she outlined specific steps in her plan for the district, and touted her community involvement.

Doctor Cherie Labat is the Assistant Superintendent at the Bay St. Louis – Waveland School District. She didn’t let microphone problems stop her presentation, where she also talked about the importance of community.

Then it was time for questions from the community, they ranged from topics on special ed., parental involvement, and how to improve the district’s current “D Rating.”

“If what we’re using is working and we have data to support it, we need to work what we’re doing, but if it’s not working we need to find other avenues to make sure the students are getting what they need,” Labat said.

“You have to understand the animal that you’re hunting and in this case we’re hunting for points,. to get to a B you have to get so many points,” Belcher said.

“We know we have to look at the bottom 25 percent to get that growth but we cant forget those students at the ,middle and the top,” Kappler said.

The panel was also asked if they’d commit to staying more than one term. The answer was a resounding yes, making it clear all three want this job.

At the end of the event, audience members were asked to write who they’d pick on a card.

The school board could make a decision as early as Friday Morning when they meet, they said they’ll take audience input into consideration.