Montgomery mayor urges pause in superintendent search, citing lack of transparency and narrow candidate pool

The mayor of Montgomery urged the Montgomery Public Schools board on Tuesday to pause its superintendent search, saying the process has lacked transparency and produced a limited pool of candidates that has reduced confidence among parents, teachers and community partners.

The mayor said the problem is not necessarily the finalists themselves but “how the search has been conducted and a lack of transparency which has led to the distrust in this process.” He called for the board to “press pause on this search, not act out of emotion or not act out of politics, but act out of a sense of responsibility to this community.”

Why it matters: The mayor said stable, consensus-backed leadership in the superintendent’s office and on the school board is essential to protect investments in education and preserve partnerships with local government, business, faith and military stakeholders. “When you're bringing in someone like that, you want them to have a consensus,” he said, adding that a “slim majority” on the board appears ready to move forward without broader buy-in.

Details from the remarks: The mayor said the public — including elected officials — has not received a “fair shake” from the current process and urged engagement with state education officials and local leaders, naming State Superintendent Dr. Mackey, state Sen. Kirk Hatcher, County Commission Chairman Doug Singleton, City Council President Calhoun and other community partners as potential participants in a renewed, more transparent process. He said the goal should be to “get it right as opposed to get it done.”

The mayor also framed the issue as a matter of consequence for families and the local economy, noting his role as a parent of two schoolchildren in Montgomery Public Schools and saying the city needs “leadership and the stability, both from the superintendent to the board level” to sustain recent investments in local education.

Questions from reporters during the session probed whether local candidates could apply; the mayor said the current process would not allow that without changes and reiterated the call for the board to reconsider the search procedures.

Ending: The mayor urged the board to reconvene with community partners and state officials to rebuild trust and reconsider the search process before selecting a superintendent. He said doing so would better protect students, teachers and the broader community from the consequences of what he called “erroneous choices.”