Superintendent search firm, fall bond proceeds and public participation before school board Monday

Presentations from the consulting firm that will lead Sumter School District’s search for its next leader and the district’s chief financial officer on current capital priority needs through bond money will be before the school board Monday.

After an internet outage at the district office during the last meeting in September forced trustees to postpone hearing the administration’s recommendation for spending Fall 2025 Capital Bonds Proceeds on various priority projects and two other report presentations, they are all part of Monday’s meeting agenda posted online Friday.

On Sept. 22, Sumter school board unanimously selected private consulting firm BWP and Associates to facilitate its superintendent search, and the firm will provide a full presentation on its approach at the meeting. The BWP team will be led by consultant Kevin Castner, who is also a former superintendent. Two other retired superintendents will compose his team, he said, and are Percy Mack (formerly superintendent in Richland County School District One in Columbia, among other leadership posts) and Frank Morgan, who spent the end of his career as superintendent of Kershaw County School District, based in Camden.

In the search process, BWP will provide candidates for the school board to ultimately choose from in its selection of a new superintendent.

Castner led the team that oversaw the Sumter board’s search in late 2018 and early 2019 when it hired Penelope Martin-Knox as the district’s superintendent.

The district’s last superintendent, William Wright Jr., resigned on Aug. 14. One week later, he received a settlement agreement of $220,000 as part of his resignation.

District Chief of Schools Shirley Gamble has served as acting superintendent since Wright’s departure.

Public participation, monthly financial reports and board committee reports also are listed on the agenda.

On Fall 2025 Capital Bonds Proceeds on priority projects, Spearman initially presented the administration’s recommendations for spending about $12.5 million at the full board’s meeting on Sept. 8, but trustees deferred discussed until later when more detailed project descriptions could be given. Later in Monday’s meeting, the board is expected to vote on the administration’s priority recommendations, according to the agenda.

Capital bond proceeds money for project needs throughout the district are issued each fall and spring.

Monday’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the district office, 1345 Wilson Hall Road.

Regarding public participation, any member of the public wanting to make a comment to the board on any topic must arrive before the 6 p.m. start time -- as early as 5:30 p.m. -- and complete a form to speak.

For those not physically attending, the district continues to broadcast meetings live on YouTube.

Anyone wanting to attend the meeting virtually can do so via YouTube Sumter School District Board Meeting and the district’s Facebook page, @SumterSCSchools.