Both Magee High School and Mendenhall Junior High students will see new faces in their front offices when the new school year starts.
At a special called meeting with the purpose of approving new hires, the Simpson County School Board voted to hire Dr. Bradley Blake as the new principal for Magee High School.
Robert Knight will replace Nick Lee as assistant principal at Mendenhall Junior High School. Lee left to beome the headmaster at Simpson Academy.
Blake comes to Magee from Vicksburg, where he has served as assistant principal as well as principal of Health and Human Sciences at the school’s career academy. He comes on the recommendations of the principal of Vicksburg High School and the superintendent of city schools, where he served for seven years.
He is described as having had experience in turning schools around and would have been slated to bring Vicksburg High School to a “B” rated school. However, due to the pandemic the school year closed early. The school had previously held a “D” rating.
Dr. Blake was rated at the top of 30 candidates who applied for the position. The applications were submitted to the Human Resources office of the Simpson County Schools and were vetted by Dr. Robert Sanders and Superintendent Greg Paes.
Paes told the board, “I feel like he would be a good fit for Magee High School.”
Some apprehension about the hire was expressed by board members Stan Bulger and Patrice Boykin, both of Magee.
Dr. Sanders told the board that Dr. Blake had “the best interview.” Bulger said, “There is more than just interviewing well” and his apprehension was “based on the school rating ‘D’ twice.” Boykin expressed her support for Bulger’s comments, adding that the board needs more information in order to make an informed decision. Bulger urged the board to get information such as a resume or summary for key positions.
Board member Stacey Herring said, “That is not the way that other positions for principal have been filled.”
Danny Cowart, board chairman, challenged whether it is the role of the board to have input on the hire or just to validate the recommendation of the staff. He said he would contact the State Department of Education for clarification.
Board members Herring and Hardy voted in favor of the hire, and Bulger and Boykin voted against. Boykin reminded Superintendent Paes that if the hire was not good he would be held accountable. Cowart cast the deciding vote in favor of the staff recommendation.
There was then a motion to hire Knight for the MJHS job and then a long pause. Cowart reminded the board that if they did not have a second there would not be an assistant principal for Mendenhall Jr. High. Reluctantly, Boykin made a second. Hardy abstained from the vote. Herring, Cowart and Boykin voted to approve, and Bulger voted against.
In other business, the board approved the paperwork allowing employees to draw pay based on the emergency declaration through the remainder of the school year.
