Decatur hires Coffer as new high school principal

School board member Justin Thompson resigns

— Deborah Coffer was chosen to be the new Decatur High School principal at Monday’s school board meeting.

Coffer was chosen from a pool of 26 candidates to replace current principal Bobby King, who submitted his resignation in March. She is currently serving as a math teacher at Dardanelle High School and has 11 years of teaching experience.

The Decatur School Board agreed to pay Coffer an annual salary of $65,302.

Decatur superintendent Larry Ben explained the principal selection process to school board members during Monday’s meeting.

Of the 26 original candidates, only 14 submitted complete applications. The other 12 submitted applications through a teacher job search site,but did not submit the required documentation, Ben explained.

On April 6, a committee of teachers and parents reviewed the remaining 14 candidates and selected six to be interviewed. Then, Ben said, he made reference calls and background checks, eliminating two further candidates.

The final four candidates were asked a total of 51 questions by a high school interview committee and then a districtlevel interview committee before a recommendation was made. High school staff had input on the list of questions that were asked, Ben noted.

The school board met for a brief executive session on Saturday to negotiate salaries, but no action was taken until Monday’s meeting.

Elementary Principal's Resignation

School board members voted to accept the resignation of Decatur Northside Elementary School principal Leslie Sharp, effective June 30.

Sharp submitted a letter of resignation, dated March 30. The issue of whether or not to renew Sharp’s contract was tabled at the March meeting, so school board members made a motion to remove the item from the table and the agenda.

Applications for a new elementary school principal are currently being taken. The hiring process will be very similar to the high school principal hiring process, according to Ben. Interviews will be conducted on May 12, with a special board meeting for an executivesession to discuss salary negotiations to follow. A recommendation will be presented to the school board at a special board meeting on May 14.

School Board Member Resignation

School board memberJustin Thompson submitted a letter of resignation.

Thompson has served as the board member representing Zone 5. His letter explained that he was resigning because he was unable to fulfill his duties as an active board member because of his work schedule.

Board president Ike Owens noted that Thompson’s job has kept him from being able to attend a number of meetings.

The board will have a limited amount of time to appoint a new board member. If they fail to appoint a member within a certain amount of time, a justice of the peace will appoint a member for them, board member Kevin Smith said.

Volunteers for the position are asked to submit letters of interest to the district. Prospective members living in Zone 5 will be given priority, but all volunteers living in the Decatur School District will be considered.

News, Pages 11 on 04/18/2012