State Board of Education to name new Interim State Superintendent of Education

The SBE will announce its timeline for the permanent state superintendent search this summer.

On Thursday, the Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) announced it will hold a special-called meeting on June 15 to consider the appointment of a new interim state superintendent of education effective July 1. 

The Board additionally voted to allow the individual who is named interim state superintendent to be eligible to apply for the permanent position.

“The SBE plans to announce its timeline for the state superintendent search this summer,” MDE said in a release.

The interim state superintendent will succeed Mike Kent who was appointed to serve as short-term interim state superintendent from April 3 through June 30, 2023.

Kent was named interim superintendent on March 30th, a day after the Mississippi Senate voted to not confirm Dr. Robert Taylor as State Superintendent of Education by a vote of 21-31. Taylor had been on the job since January after being named to the post in November 2022.

Following the Senate’s rejection of Dr. Taylor’s nomination, Rosemary Aultman, SBE Chair, said that the Board conducted a fair, competitive and rigorous application process to select the most qualified candidate to fulfill the duties of state superintendent of education.

“The SBE conducted a six-month, national search before voting unanimously on Nov. 21, 2022, to hire Dr. Taylor to serve as the state’s top public education official,” MDE said. “Dr. Taylor was selected through a competitive process from among 26 applicants from 15 states.”

Dr. Taylor, a 30-year veteran educator and deputy state superintendent for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, was named Superintendent of Education on November 21, 2022, following Dr. Carey Wright’s resignation. Dr. Wright retired on June 30, 2022 after a 50-year career in public education.

The next state superintendent must go through the same legislative confirmation process as Taylor where Senators will be asked to confirm the SBE’s selection. This will most likely take place during the 2024 legislative session assuming SBE has made a hire by that time.