Ocean Springs community asking for transparency in superintendent search

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - Members of the Ocean Springs community expressed their concerns on the process of looking for a new superintendent for the school district.

“They need to be equal to or better than what we got right now,” said Greg Gipson.

Gipson lives in Ocean Springs and is trying to figure out why one group of people are not having a say in the search.

Gipson said when it comes to the search for a superintendent, there can be no going backward, only forward.

“The standard is up here and when we start lowering the bar, then that’s what we’re going to get; subpar individuals applying,” Gipson said. “We need to make sure they have that requirement and meet it. We shouldn’t settle for less.”

Despite his frustration with the process not involving all of Ocean Springs, Gipson said he is asking for transparency because of his love for the city.

“When I talk about Ocean Springs School District, and I work in Biloxi, I say when you come to Ocean Springs, you’re going to get a quality education. And when I had an issue when we first built that middle school, staph infection in that school was so high,” Gipson said. “When I went there, I picked up the phone and called Dr. Coleman said this is not where our tax dollars are going. ‘No problem Mr. Gipson, I will take care of it.’ And that gym was cleaned up.

“We can’t go back people. Not back into the ‘80s. We have a diverse community here and it should be representative of all of us.”

The board said they will do their best to make sure they pick a candidate that will benefit the district. They are aiming to have a successor in place for July 1.

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