Jacksonville schools hire education agency's Wood

The Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District’s interim School Board hired Tony Wood on Thursday to be the next superintendent.
The Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District’s interim School Board hired Tony Wood on Thursday to be the next superintendent.

The Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District's interim School Board hired Tony Wood on Thursday to be the next superintendent of the newly created district.

The board unanimously selected Wood, who until recently led the state Department of Education and currently serves as a deputy commissioner for the department. He was chosen over Little Rock School District Deputy Superintendent Marvin Burton after a nearly 30-minute private session. School Board President Daniel Gray said the candidates interviewed this week with board members.

Neither candidate attended the specially called meeting Thursday, nor could they be reached for comment by telephone afterward.

"Two fine men," Gray said of the candidates. "This district is blessed to choose from the two of them."

The board plans to introduce Wood -- whose career in education spans more than four decades -- during its May 4, 6:30 p.m. meeting. The seven-member board is also planning a public reception for Wood before that meeting, with details to be disclosed at a later time.

Thursday's hire comes as the new district, still a part of the Pulaski County Special School District, is negotiating on how to divide staffing, assets and liabilities in preparation for the detachment. The Jacksonville/North Pulaski district is expected to be freestanding by July 1, 2016, and hopes to begin shepherding the education of some 4,000 students for the 2016-17 academic year.

"There are a lot of challenges," interim Superintendent Bobby Lester said after the meeting. "There's still a long ways to go between now and then. Mr. Wood will be up to the challenge, but I'll still be working as hard as I can on those challenges until June 30."

Lester added he would like to finish divvying up everything with Pulaski County before Wood begins July 1.

Wood will succeed Lester, who came out of retirement to take on the first steps of the formation of the new district. Wood will take on the new job at an annual salary of $160,000.

Wood, 64, served as the state's education commissioner when Tom Kimbrell stepped down from the post to become superintendent of the Bryant School District in June. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing 238 school districts and nearly two dozen charter school systems that served the state's 475,000 public school students. He also served as the school board and supervisor of the school districts that are in state control because of academic and/or fiscal distress, which includes the Pulaski County Special district.

In his less than one year in that position, Wood was paid what would be an annual salary of $231,176. He was replaced last month by Johnny Key, the choice of new Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Wood, a Mississippi native, spent most of his career in education as the superintendent of Searcy schools. Before that, he worked one year as deputy superintendent at the Little Rock School District. He got his start teaching in Beedeville in Jackson County.

Wood has a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in education administration from Harding University.

Gray pointed to Wood's "well-rounded" knowledge and background that prompted the hiring.

"We like Mr. Wood a whole lot," Gray said.

Wood edged out 11 other candidates who applied for the position.

"It's going to be a fairly challenging task, but it's a great community and they have a lot going for them," he told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette earlier this month. "It speaks real clearly ... that they took the initiative to the degree that they did to provide for their children. I think there's a lot to be said in that."

Metro on 04/17/2015

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