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Troup County School Board Chairman Brandon Brooks provided a timeline for when a new superintendent may be hired during Thursday night’s meeting.

“Our desire is to know who the next superintendent is by the end of the school year,” Brooks said.

Superintendent Brian Shumate announced last month that he was retiring at the end of June, and hiring a search firm is one of the first major steps in starting the process to find his replacement.

McPherson & Jacobson was hired Thursday as the firm to lead the search. McPherson & Jacobson also led the previous search, which started in 2018, and resulted in the hiring of Shumate. That search was nationwide with finalists who were living in Alabama, Florida and Oregon at the time.

Brooks said he’s heard people say the last search took too long. When Shumate was hired, TCSS went 10 months with an interim superintendent.

He’s also heard people ask if an interim would be named this time. Shumate plans to work through June, so TCSS expects to have a replacement named by then, meaning no interim will be needed.

The total cost for McPherson & Jacobson to lead the search is not to exceed $26,845, according to board documents.

“I thought they did a great job last time,” said Board Member Cathy Hunt on Tuesday night.

McPherson & Jacobson has been conducting national searches since 1991 totaling more than 1,000 superintendent and administrator searches. Almost 85% of placements from the last five years are still in their positions, according to paperwork from the firm.

McPherson & Jacobson also makes it clear in board documents that it does not hire the superintendent. Rather, the firm gives the board a decision-making model used to make the decision.