The North Little Rock School Board has selected an administrator from a school district in Maryland as the next superintendent for the 8,000-student district.
The School Board voted Monday to offer Gregory Pilewski the job of superintendent at the North Little Rock School District after a meeting in executive session.
School Board members Natalie Wankum, Lizbeth Huggins, Cindy Temple, Sandi Campbell and School Board President Dorothy Williams all voted for Pilewski. Board member Tracy Steele was the lone no vote.
Board member Rochelle Redus wasn't allowed to participate in the superintendent decision since she had missed a previous meeting about the candidates.
The search firm of Ray and Associates Inc. presented three candidates to the board on Monday. The board narrowed the list last week to three after interviewing the candidates in an executive session.
The three finalists were:
• Keith McGee, interim superintendent, North Little Rock School District.
• Pilewski, deputy superintendent, Queen Anne's County School District in Maryland.
• John Tharpe, executive director, Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee.
The other candidates were Adrienne Bland, assistant superintendent at Ferguson-Florissant School District in Missouri, and Lloyd Jackson, assistant superintendent at Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri.
Carl Davis, regional search director for Ray and Associates, said last week that the board's top candidate appeared to be Tharpe, followed by McGee and then Pilewski. He said on Monday that 42 people had applied for the job in North Little Rock.
Davis said one of the major duties of the school board is selecting a superintendent who can lead the district the right way.
"Tonight is a very important moment in the history of the North Little Rock School District," he said.
The finalists did live interviews with the public using Zoom, where board members received public input before making a final decision. Community members were able to join the Zoom link and ask questions to the three candidates.
Candidates were asked a series of questions from viewers that included the challenges the district faces, how to address students' mental health, community input, and what sets them apart from the other candidates.
Social and emotional concerns in regards to students was a frequent topic during the forum, with candidates discussing the various ways to identify and help those who are struggling in classrooms.
"The biggest lessons that we learned from the school closure period was the need for emotional support," Pilewski said. "Not only for students but also for parents. ... Some of the things that we have done in Maryland is connecting social and emotional learning with the arts."
Pilewski and Tharpe both said the greatest challenge the school district faces today is getting the grade levels up at certain campuses.
"We need to get students to read every day, write every day and to get them thinking every day," Tharpe said. "We got to make sure our students are reading, writing and thinking at a grade level."
McGee said restoring trust in the district was the biggest challenge the school system faces at the moment. He said by being approachable to the community, responsive and transparent the school district will be able to create a positive culture that parents will trust again.
Pilewski said his experience working in various environments was what made him a unique candidate.
"I have taught overseas and been in leadership roles in large school districts that have had over 100,000 students," he said. "I have worked in rural, urban and suburban schools in a variety of settings."
McGee touted his passion for the North Little Rock School District as something that sets him apart from others.
"Nobody loves the North Little Rock School District more than I do," he said. "I enjoy coming to work. We have already made strides and continue to make strides to be a top-notch district."
Tharpe said his ability to build trust and create relationships was his greatest strength.
"I have a strong background in instruction and knowing how to ensure that all of our students are given great opportunities to learn and succeed," he said.
At the conclusion of the forum, a survey link was posted on the school district's Facebook page for 30 minutes to allow viewers to voice their opinion. The firm compiled the data from the survey and presented to the School Board before their decision was made on Monday.
Survey participants were asked to rate the level of professionalism, the administrative experiences, the leadership style, knowledge of instruction and their overall opinion of the candidates.
The School Board voted unanimously last month to use Ray and Associates to assist in the search for a new superintendent.
Board members voted 4-2 in June to set the salary at about $200,000. Davis and Ryan Ray, the search firm's president, originally asked board members if the salary could be increased to $215,000.
The board voted April 23 to immediately terminate the contract of Bobby Acklin, who served as interim superintendent before becoming the district's full-time leader in July 2018.
The move came after the School Board evaluated Acklin's performance in January and voted to extend his contract -- which was set to expire June 30 -- to June 30, 2021.
Comments made by Acklin in an audio file sent to board members by the high school principal were among the issues that led to Acklin's termination, officials said.
The School Board voted 7-0 in May to appoint McGee as interim superintendent.