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The Demopolis City School District will open an application period for school superintendent candidates beginning Nov 1.

School board chairman Harris Hurst announced at Monday’s meeting that the school board is developing a job description with the help of board attorney Alex Braswell. The application period will stay open for just over a month, closing on Dec. 6.

By keeping that timeline, Hurts believes they could have a new superintendent hired by March.

“That gives us several weeks for us to do our homework and study the applications,” Hurst said at the school board meeting. “Some time in late January or early February, we would start interviewing applicants and hope to have a superintendent in place to start work around March 1. The hiring process is being handled by Mr. Braswell. The initial part will all be under attorney privilege.”

Hurst said he was concerned that the names of those who were interviewed could “leak out” during the initial interviews.

“But early on, it’s just under wraps,” Hurt said.

The vacancy was caused by the resignation of Tony Willis, who left the district effective July 31 to take the same position with Calhoun County Schools. Bobby Hathcock has been serving as interim superintendent since Aug. 1 and will serve until the board hires a new superintendent.

In other business, the board:

• Approved minutes from meetings on Sept. 9 and 11 and Oct. 4.
• Approved the financial report.
• Approved Holiday Cleaners to clean all campuses except the central offices after school.
• Approved the personnel report including resignations for Marlana Mitchell, aide (ELL); Reginald Atkins, aide (special education, retirement); and Temika Holloway, aide (special education); substitute teachers Denise Thomas, Barbara Woods and Ellen Bonner (nurse); reassignment for Kristin Phillips from kindergarten teacher to collaborative teacher; and approved Samantha Ledbetter as volunteer basketball coach for DMS.
• Corrected several salary schedule items.
• Made a minor change to the admittance-enrollment requirements policy for new students.
• Approved the bilingual instructional aide job description.
• Approved a contract between AAAP/The HANDS Program and the district.
• Approved consent items including a trip for DHS students to attend the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Nov. 12-13, a trip for DHS boys basketball to Southern Union Community College Nov. 15-16 and a trip for the DMS Beta Club to attend a convention in Montgomery.