Hoover schools chief Kathy Murphy named 1 of 7 semifinalists for state superintendent

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Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy this morning was named as one of seven semifinalists for the state school superintendent’s job.

The other semifinalists are:

  • Kimber Halliburton, superintendent of Washington County Schools in Tennessee for past two years and previously area superintendent for the Metro Nashville school district, which has 87,000 students
  • Eric Mackey, executive director for the School Superintendents of Alabama and previously superintendent for Jacksonville City Schools
  • Jeffrey Moss, superintendent for Beaufort County Schools in South Carolina for almost five years; previously superintendent in Lee County, Beaufort County and Stanly County in North Carolina
  • Maria Pitre-Martin, deputy state superintendent in North Carolina for the past two years and formerly superintendent for Thomasville City Schools for three years and director of state curriculum for North Carolina for four years
  • Craig Pouncey, superintendent for Jefferson County Schools and formerly chief of staff, deputy state superintendent, assistant state superintendent and director of finance for the Alabama Department of Education
  • Robert Scott, former education commissioner for Texas now working with Texas Star Alliance, a private public affairs firm

The Ray & Associates search firm chosen to help the state school board with its search selected the seven semifinalists from among 41 applicants for the job to lead the Alabama Department of Education, which oversees all K-12 public schools in the state.

Now, the state school board is expected to narrow that list down to three finalists, who will be brought in for interviews with the board on April 20.

Ray & Associates picked the seven semifinalists based on their administrative experience, commitment to public education, ability to run a large organization and academic background, President Gary Ray told the state school board Thursday.

Read more about Murphy’s decision to apply for the state superintendent job here.