Finalists For Lincoln Superintendent Interviewed

Board Expected To Decide Today On Hiring

LINCOLN — Two finalists for school superintendent said Wednesday their management styles are defined by what is best for students.

Mary Ann Spears, 49, high school principal, and Charles Thomas, 59, superintendent of Jay, Okla., schools, were questioned by school administrators for about an hour each in the high school library.

A third finalist for the job, David Kellogg, superintendent of the Cossatot River School District in Polk County, withdrew from consideration early Wednesday morning, said Dax Moreton, School Board. Kellogg, a former assistant principal at Springdale High School, was hired Monday as superintendent in Eureka Springs School District.

Meeting Information

Lincoln School Board

When: 5 p.m. today

Where: Central Administration Office, 107 E. School St.

The three were selected from 16 applicants interviewed last week.

Moreton said the School Board likely will make a decision today during a meeting. Salary and other employment details will be discussed before a contract is issued.

Superintendent Clay Hendrix is taking a job as assistant superintendent in the Springdale School District. His contract ends Sunday. Hendrix’s salary is $108,411.

Becky Griscom, federal programs coordinator; Melody Sebastian, curriculum coordinator; and Michele Price, middle school principal, questioned the candidates. Marsha Hash, elementary school principal, wasn’t available for the interviews.

Their questions ranged from applicants’ leadership style, community involvement and communicating with patrons to their thoughts on the public use of school facilities and technical education.

Spears, a justice of the peace on the Washington County Quorum Court, described her management and leadership style as a delegator. She said she would continue weekly meetings with the district leadership team. She said the superintendent needs to be active in the community and she expects to have community meetings in the fall.

Spears was hired at the high school as assistant principal in 2006 and was promoted to principal in 2009. She taught math and business in Farmington for 12 years. She is a candidate to receive a specialist degree in educational leadership from Arkansas Tech University in December. That degree level is required in Arkansas to be a school superintendent.

Spears said, if she is hired, she will sell her home in Farmington and move to Lincoln.

“I have no plans to go anywhere,” she said. “My number one role is to be the leader of instruction. What’s best for our kids has to be the primary focus.”

Thomas, whose career includes a teaching stint at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, said he applied because his qualifications and experience matched the job description advertised by the district.

He is licensed in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas as an administrator and teacher, according to his application. He has been the superintendent in Jay since 2008 and was the superintendent in Fairland, Okla., for nine years before that. He has held various teaching, athletic and administration positions in public schools and at the postsecondary level in his career.

“The first thing you have to have is an effective teacher in front of the classroom,” Thomas said. He said that's what is best for students.

He said he leads by example and is professional in his dealings with parents, staff members and students. He said he's supportive of teachers and keeps them informed. He depends on principals to be his eyes and ears in their buildings.

“It’s all about students. We do things with them in mind,” Thomas said.

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