Choosing superintendent will not be an easy task

With current superintendent Don Cox prepared to step away from the Russellville City School system in March, the race to find his replacement is in full gear.

The list of candidates has been reduced to two candidates and the Russellville School Board will have much to consider before making its final decision.

First the board will need to choose a candidate that can help the school system continue to improve its mission to educate the youth of Russellville during the era of proration. The candidate must be able to do more with less since it could be years before school funding returns to pre-recession levels.

The board also needs to choose the best candidate to handle the issues arising from the diverse demographic of students in the halls of city schools. As more and more Spanish speaking students enroll, there will need to be teachers and administrators that can meet the challenge of educating these students.

While the school board needs to act quickly because Cox’s time in office is quickly coming to an end, it also needs to take its time and make the best decision for all the students in Russellville.

Anything less would be a failure for the school board and a disservice to the students seeking a quality education.