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The Demopolis City Schools Board of Education will be receiving a notebook containing all of the applications they received for the open superintendent’s position in the near future.

Board attorney Alexander Braswell said the application period closed on Friday, Dec, 6.

“Right now, I am reviewing the applicants to make sure that they met the qualifications,” Braswell said. “Once that is complete, I will give the board a notebook with all of the applicants, their applications and other information submitted. I can’t say how many applicants we have at this time because I want to make sure all of them have the qualifications.”

The school board is looking to hire a new superintendent after the former superintendent Tony Willis resigned in July to take the same position with Calhoun County Schools. Bobby Hathcock has been serving as the interim superintendent since Aug. 1.

Braswell said during the meeting that he couldn’t talk about the search during open session to protect the identities of the applicants during this stage of the search.

Once the board receives their notebooks, they will review the candidates and come up with a list of finalists that they would want to interview. Braswell said a possible timeline for interviews would be in late January or early February when the board would conduct those interviews.

Once interviews are completed, the board could enter into negotiations with a candidate for compensation. According to the job posting, the base salary for the Demopolis school superintendent is $150,000 and is negotiable based on “experience and a proven track record.”

The board is looking for a superintendent will move inside the school district and enroll their children, if any are of school age, in the Demopolis school system. A master’s degree was required for the position, but they preferred a person with a doctorate at least three to five years of experience.

Once the board and the candidate come to an agreement, Braswell said the board would like to introduce the new superintendent in mid to late February so that they could begin by a target date of March 1, 2025.