By Doug Clark

Assistant Editor

Preliminary contract negotiations are under way between the Clinton City Board of Education and the person members would like to see take the superintendent’s reins.

Members remain mum about who that person is, saying nothing can be released until the negotiations have been completed and the person is officially hired.

“There is really nothing to announce yet,” said Board of Education chairman Dr. Carl Barr Tuesday. “We are going through negotiations ... and it is a personnel matter.”

However, Dr. Barr did say an announcement is expected soon.

“Hopefully, we will have something in the next couple of days,” he said.

The board was thrust into search mode back in December when superintendent Dr. Gene Hales announced he would be retiring after nearly 10 years in the city system.

With the search being conducted by the North Carolina School Boards Association, local board members weeded through at least 20 applications from in and around the state and one from as far away as California.

After discussions of applications were complete, the board decided to name an interim superintendent, reportedly from a short list of names. A unanimous vote named Nancy Dillman, current director of curriculum/instruction, as the interim superintendent. Her duties began Feb. 1.

The superintendent’s search is conducted solely by the board with assistance from the Allison Schafer, director of policy/legal counsel for the NCSBA, who presented the board the list of applicants. Over the past two weeks, the board has worked tirelessly to put the right person in place, Dr. Barr said.

The final three were interviewed last week.

While no names have been mentioned, sources close to the school system have indicated the prospective superintendent, who is a male, is from the eastern part of North Carolina.

Another source close to the proceedings noted that there were still some questions that needed to be answered before anything is finalized, but contract negotiations are “continuing” to see if both parties can come to an agreement.

“No votes have been taken by the board,” said the source. “It has to be done in open session. Right now, it is just contract negotiations.”