The Baldwin County Board of Education is working through 26 applications for its next superintendent, with plans to narrow the pool to five finalists in the coming weeks so interviews can begin.
Board President Shannon Cauley said most members picked up application packets on July 10 and have since started building their own shortlists. Once all seven board members finish narrowing their picks to five names apiece, those lists will go to board attorney Scotty Lewis, who will compile a single list of five finalists for formal interviews.
“I’m excited now to see what our top five is going to be,” Cauley said, adding that while several strong candidates emerged, she’s curious whether other board members gravitate toward the same names she did. Cauley said applications came in from across the country, though the board does not plan to make all 26 applicants’ names public — only the five ultimately selected for interviews.
The board opted to run the search internally rather than hire an outside search firm, instead gathering input from the public and school employees through a survey that drew more than 3,000 responses.
Whoever is hired will inherit a school system facing financial strain after voters rejected a tax referendum at the end of March, leaving the district short on anticipated revenue. Adding urgency to the timeline, the new school year begins Aug. 17, raising questions about whether current Superintendent Robbie Owen will remain in the role until a permanent successor is named or whether the board will need to appoint an interim leader.
Owen has said he’s willing to stay through August, having already pushed back his departure once from an original resignation date of June 30. He is expected to return to his previous role as principal of Rockwell Elementary School in Spanish Fort, which operated without a full-time principal last year while Lead Teacher Pam Manders handled administrative duties in his absence.
Baldwin County Schools Administrative Services Coordinator Hope Zeanah has been mentioned as a possible interim superintendent if one becomes necessary, though Cauley said no firm decision or timeline has been set. “We’re still just playing it by ear,” she said.
The board has not decided whether it will cover travel costs for all five finalists to come in for interviews or whether that expense would fall to the candidates themselves, though Cauley said the district would cover costs once the field narrows to two or three finalists, including public meet-and-greet sessions for residents and school employees. Whether the board can still meet its original goal of hiring a new superintendent by the end of August depends on how quickly the interview process unfolds in the coming weeks.