Superintendent selection planned

DECATUR — State appointed superintendent LeRoy Ortman has selected a committee of community and school staff members that will work alongside state officials to choose his replacement, he said on Monday.

Ortman, who came out of retirement to help the troubled district in August of 2008, said he plans to re-enter retirement now that the district is financially stable. Last month he submitted a resignation letter to the Arkansas Department of Education, effective June 30, to give state officials as much time as possible to hire his replacement, he said.

At the January Arkansas State Board of Education meeting, the state board voted to release Decatur from its fiscal distress status in January and laid plans to hold school board elections next September. The state Board of Education also decided that a committee of Decatur community members and state officials would be appointed to select a new superintendent, hopefully before Ortman resigns on June 30.

Since then, the plan for selecting Ortman’s replacement has been refined. Two committee’s - a state committee and a local committee - will review applications separately, narrowing down the list of applicants. Then a subcommittee - comprised members of both state and local committees - will interview the candidates.

Arkansas Commissioner of Education Tom Kimbrell will make the final choice for the new superintendent, based on the subcommittee’s recommendations, Ortman said.

Ortman has selected five community members, one certified staff member and one classified staff member to serve on the local committee. Community members who have agreed to serve on the committee include Kirk Anderson, Amy Brooks, IkeOwens, Justin Thompson and Dr. C.L. Abercrombie.

Terry Burden will represent the classified staffmembers and Jeff McFarland will represent the certified staff members, Ortman said.

Officials from the Arkansas Department of Education will serve on the state committee.

Ortman said he hopesto get at least 10 to 15 applicants for the position. Advertisements for the job will be posted on the Arkansas Department of Education and the American Association of Education Web sites this week, he said.

After Ortman retires, he has agreed to continue working as a consultant until the new school board and superintendent are ready to take the reins.

All five school board positions are up for election on Sept. 21.