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An Editorial Opinion of The Demopolis Times

Last week, we heard about Superintendent Anthony “Tony” Willis’ decision to accept the superintendent’s job at Calhoun County Schools. 

While we had to see Willis leave, we realize that he is making a decision that’s best for him and his family. We appreciate the job he has done being in Demopolis during a very difficult time in education. Coming in during the summer of 2021, the nation’s education system faced tremendous challenges coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a difficult time for anyone to be in school leadership as the landscape of education changed forever following that disruption in school. Thank you for your service to the community.

As we move forward, the Demopolis City Schools Board of Education has a tall task to find the next superintendent of the school system. It’s very difficult to have such a change right before the school year starts. We are hopeful that the school board will be able to navigate through this challenge as best it can.

Once an interim superintendent is appointed, the district must move forward with finding a new superintendent, whether that comes from within or someone from the outside who will fit the district well. We hope that the board will do its due diligence to search for the right candidate, one that will be able to build on the success of the district and go farther. As that process begins, we hope that the district will continue to include the input from the community and stakeholders to find the right person.