NATCHEZ — Members of the Natchez-Adams School Board kicked off a process Thursday that board president Wayne Barnett reminded them would be their biggest task yet.

The board unanimously voted to hire a third party — the Mississippi School Board Association — to coach board members through the selection of a new superintendent.

“This is the most important thing we’ll ever do (as a board),” Barnett said.

The school board met at a specially called meeting to weigh three options presented at the meeting relating to the selection process. The options included hiring full services from MSBA, hiring partial services from MSBA or conducting the search internally.

“Personally I’m more comfortable with more guidance,” board member David Troutman said. “Right now I think we need all the help we can get.”

“I agree with Mr. Troutman,” member Thelma Newsome said.

Board members ultimately chose to pay $9,500 to contract with MSBA for their full services after agreeing they needed guidance from those with more experience and also someone who has an outsider advantage, members said, since access to public input remained at the forefront of the discussion.

Under the agreement for full services, in the first phase of the search, MSBA representatives would survey the board members, assist the board in establishing search deadlines and host community or “stakeholders” meetings.

“I think they have the experience we’re looking for, and when we talk about getting community input, a third party such as the MSBA … (is) in a better position to have the community open up,” Barnett said.

Once the board establishes criteria, MSBA will prepare an application form, advertise the position and contact individuals in whom the consultant or school board is interested.

MSBA will sort applications and create a summary report once the recruitment and evaluation process is completed.

In addition, MSBA representatives will prepare possible questions for the interview process, help schedule interviews, notify those not chosen and aid the board attorney in preparing a contract.

“While we could (conduct the search process as a board), I still think we wouldn’t ask all the questions we could have,” Newsome said.

MSBA will repeat the search process again if no acceptable candidate is among the finalists, the contract says.

In addition, MSBA will also host workshops with the board and new superintendent after the superintendent is hired if the board wishes.

Partial services with MSBA, costing $4,000, excluded a number of services, including hosting community meetings, creation of an application form, access to advertising resources (other than on the MSBA website) and a commitment to a second search if the first fails.

“We will still have the responsibly of making decisions as we go along, but (MSBA Executive Director Michael) Waldrop will be our coach and show us different things we need to do,” Barnett said.

Board Attorney Bruce Kuehnle said the school board received guidance from a group at Delta State University in a similar manner when conducting its search approximately eight years ago for the district’s former superintendent, Anthony Morris.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board voted unanimously to authorize Kuehnle and Interim Superintendent Joyce Johnson to negotiate a new contract to possibly extend her service past its current expiration at Dec. 31.

Barnett said the goal was to create a new contract Johnson can choose to enter that allows her to meet the school district’s need until the board hires a permanent superintendent.