The Beaufort County Board of Education has narrowed the list of finalists for district superintendent from three to two.
Remaining are Gloria J. Davis, currently superintendent of the 9,100-student Decatur Public Schools in Decatur, Ill., and Jeffrey Moss, currently superintendent of the 9,850-student Lee County Schools in Sanford, N.C.
Kathryn LeRoy, director of high school programs for the 125,000-student Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Fla., has been eliminated from the consideration list
Education board member are now planning to visit the remaining candidates' home districts.
Here are more details from a release:
Each of the three finalists visited Beaufort County for a pair of interviews as well as for question-and-answer sessions with district employees and community forums that were televised live on the Beaufort County Channel. Comments on the finalists were forwarded to Board of Education members for their consideration in the decision-making process.
Board Chair Bill Evans and Board members Evva Anderson, Michael Rivers and Mike Sanz will leave this Sunday for a Monday visit to the Sanford, N.C. district of Moss. The four Board members will then leave for a trip to visit the Decatur, Ill. district of Davis.
"We had extensive and detailed discussions today that all 11 Board members participated in, and the fact that we narrowed the field instead of making a final decision is a reflection of the quality of our remaining finalists," Evans said. "I also want to emphasize the significant consideration that Board members gave to comments we received from educators and community members following the forums."
Ray and Associates, an Iowa-based firm hired by the Board to coordinate the national search, received 122 applications from candidates in 42 states. The consultants conducted background checks on the 122 applicants and brought 11 candidates to the Board, which interviewed seven before announcing the three finalists. The Board's goal is to have a new superintendent under contract by the first week in March.
