Jackson Free Press

Jim Barksdale, former president and CEO of Netscape and a Jackson native, has offered funds to help Jackson Public Schools find and hire a new superintendent.

JPS board member George Schimmel said Barksdale made an informal offer to assist in the search and salary of a new superintendent. He has not made a formal offer for the school board to vote on, but Schimmel said he thinks the board would be receptive to any assistance Barksdale offers.

Schimmel said he does not know of any legal reason the board would not be able to accept the money, but the most important thing is finding the right person for the job.

"Both parties would need to be happy with whatever superintendent came out of the search," Schimmel said. "Certainly, if Mr. Barksdale is going to contribute resources, he would need to be happy, and on the other hand, the school board and the constituency it represents would need to be happy. The goal is to make sure everyone is content with the choice."

While JPS offers one of the higher salaries in the state, Schimmel said, he does not know how the district's pay compares to other urban districts around the country.

"To my knowledge (the district's salaries) haven't been a major difficulty," he said. "... On the other hand, it certainly could be an issue as we go forward."

The school board expects to choose a search firm within about a month and will then set a timetable for the superintendent search. The board has also formed a community advisory committee of stakeholders in the community to help with the search.

Barksdale is an education advocate and philanthropist who founded the Barksdale Reading Institute. He was not immediately available for comment.

In August, board members voted to hire a national search firm to help them find a new superintendent.

At the time, board attorney Dorian Turner recommended that school board members look outside Mississippi for a consultant to help find a new superintendent.

"We are the only real urban school district in the state of Mississippi, so I think if you were to use some of the local firms ... you might find that they have limited experience in terms of dealing with searches for urban school districts," Turner said. She also said an outside consultant would help with the logistics of advertising the position, gathering community input and setting a timeline for hiring a new superintendent.

The community advisory committee is made up of representatives from organizations that are key stakeholders in the district. The members will advise the board on what they think the district's needs are and what characteristics they want in a superintendent.

The committee has not met, yet, and it is not clear what input the committee might have in the interview process. Schimmel said that in the past the board has made the names of the top three candidates available to the public. Some board members have suggested holding forums or town-hall-style meetings so that community members could meet the finalists.