Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Joplin R-8 official release on hiring of Melinda Moss

(From Joplin Schools)

The Joplin Board of Education is pleased to announce that they have voted unanimously at the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 29, 2016, to hire Dr. Melinda Moss as the next Superintendent of Joplin Schools.

Dr. Moss will begin her new post on at the end of the school year, as Joplin’s new Superintendent. She currently holds the position of Superintendent of Schools for Harrison School District, Harrison, Arkansas. Dr. Moss has been with the Harrison School District since 2007 and has been their Superintendent since 2010. She has experience as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, building administrator, teacher, and counselor. Dr. Moss received her Doctorate from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri and her Master’s Degree from Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, Missouri. She has a BSBA in Finance and Banking from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR.

The hiring of Dr. Moss follows a search by the district that included input from the community, administrators, teachers, students, and staff. The initial step of the process was a community survey and input from focus groups. Utilizing the results of the survey, the Board identified the next Superintendent’s qualities and characteristics. The School Board, with the assistance of a national search firm, Ray and Associates, reviewed applications, supporting documentation and videos, and conducted hours of interviews. Extensive background and reference checks were also completed during the hiring process.

Contract terms for Dr. Moss include a three year contract with a base salary of $180,000. This is a competitive contract commensurate with the duties and responsibilities, as well as the expectations of this Board and community. Board

President Jeff Koch stated, “Dr. Moss was the unanimous choice of the Board and we are pleased to welcome Dr. Moss to Joplin Schools and our community as our next superintendent. We are excited for the future and know our schools and students will be in great hands.“

The Board wishes to thank the members of the community for their valuable input. A lot of insight was gathered from the community surveys and focus groups. Hiring a Superintendent is one of the most important jobs placed upon the Board of Education. Partnering with the community was vital to the process for selecting our next Superintendent.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an excellent hire - just keep Sharp, Landis & Steele off the school board. Let the healing continue.

Anonymous said...

Don't know about you, but I found this bit from one of the Globe's articles on her a bit ominous:

Moss holds degrees in finance and banking from the University of Arkansas

As in, you have to wonder if one of the reasons she was hired was the board fears they'll need that expertise if/when the "might as well" spending reimbursements are turned down by FEMA....

And, hmmm, people have been complaining about the district's CFO, right? She should be well qualified to both fire him for not being up to the job or whatever, and to judge the competence of his replacement.