James Johnson-Waldington, who was an interim superintendent of the former Leflore County School District, has been chosen as the next superintendent of the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District.
The district’s board voted 3-2 in a closed-door session following a special called meeting Feb. 11 to begin negotiations with Johnson-Waldington.
On Thursday, in another 3-2 vote in a closed-door session, the board approved a three-year contract for him.
Each time, board members Magdalene Abraham, Jackie Lewis and Samantha Milton voted in favor of Johnson-Waldington, and Dr. Ro’Shaun Bailey and Dr. Kalanya Moore voted no.
Bailey said he voted against offering the contract because he had not been able to interview applicants. He was unable to attend a special called board meeting Feb. 5, during which the board conducted applicant interviews.
Moore could not be reached for comment Friday.
Johnson-Waldington is scheduled to start work July 1 and will have an annual salary of $160,000, said Milton, the board’s president.
“I am truly honored to be selected as the next superintendent of the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District,” Johnson-Waldington said in a statement.
Since 2020, Johnson-Waldington has been superintendent of the South Delta School District, which is based in Rolling Fork. He has more than 18 years of educational administrative experience. Previously, he had served as superintendent for the Montgomery County, West Bolivar Consolidated and Hollandale districts.
He earned a master’s degree in education from Delta State University.
He was appointed interim superintendent for the Leflore County School District in 2017.
The Leflore County and Greenwood districts merged in the summer of 2019.
“We are pleased to have James Johnson-Waldington as our new superintendent and look forward to many successful years working together,” Milton said in a statement Friday.
“His leadership abilities and experience as a superintendent, coupled with great community and staff support, will serve the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District well as we move forward to achieve our shared mission, vision and goals.”
In an email, Moore said, “I would like to first congratulate Superintendent Waldington on being selected as the new superintendent-elect. While Mr. Waldington was on my short list of highly qualified candidates; he was not my first choice. It is my plan and duty as a trustee to fully support Superintendent Wal-dington in all of his endeavors as the new superintendent-elect for the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District.”
Last summer, the board voted not to issue another contract to Dr. Mary Brown, the current and first superintendent for the consolidated district.
She was hired in February of that year and given a three-year contract with an annual salary of $150,000. Her contract expires June 30 of this year.
The board began its search for a new superintendent last semester with assistance from the Mississippi School Boards Association.
The board received 11 applications from Mississippi administrators, including one superintendent, three assistant superintendents and five principals, among other positions, according to the board’s statement. Seven applicants were male, and four were female.
Milton said the board interviewed eight applicants.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
