An internet story has revealed that Simpson County School Superintendent Greg Paes was appointed superintendent of Simpson County School District for an additional 18 months.
The school board held a special meeting to hire Paes Thursday, May 18.
The hiring comes on the heels of the state requirement that Mississippi school district superintendents be appointed, or hired, rather than elected. The board had previously discussed hiring Paes on an interim basis to give them more time to conduct a thorough candidate search.
Terms of the hire were not released. Members of the school board would not answer questions.
Because the board refused comment, the state school board association was contacted. Tommy Brown with the association outlined the requirements for a candidate to be considered for the head position.
A question surfaced as to whether Greg Paes met the requirements to be appointed. Paes told the board at a previous meeting that he qualified. The question was whether he had enough time serving as principal in a school that held an “A” or “B” accountability rating. The requirement is three years, but according to Brown that is only for a principal wanting to be considered.
There are several other options according to Brown. One is serving six years in a leadership position. Another is serving six years on the administrative staff as a director and answering directly to the superintendent. Serving five years as superintendent or assistant superintendent also qualifies a candidate for the position.
Brown said these requirements for appointment have been questioned by two other school districts which now have an attorney general’s opinion supporting their position.
