Newton County School Superintendent JO Amis announced his intentions to retire at the end of the school year effective June 30, 2023, during the final school board meeting of 2022 Monday night in the Newton County High School library.
Amis, 47, said he felt like it was time to step away from education and spend more time with his father.
“Life is so precious, and I want to take the time to spend it with my family while I have the chance,” Amis said.
Amis was elected in 2011 as school superintendent and won a close re-election bid over Gary Tune in 2015. During the first year of his second term, the Mississippi Legislature changed all county superintendents from elected to appointed to take effect at the beginning of the next term.
The Newton County School District Board of Trustees appointed Amis in January 2020 to continue as superintendent.
“I just want to say thank you to the people of Newton County for the support over the last 11 years” Amis said. “Thank you to all of the students and parents and community members. Thank you to all of the teachers and administrators that have worked with me over the years. There’s no way we’d be where we are without their hard work and dedication. They’re the reason why we’re an A school district.”
At the end of the board’s meeting, the current board met with new members Kenneth Thompson and Camp Keith to discuss how the district should conduct the search. After the discussion, they agreed to consult with the Mississippi Association of School Board to conduct a search for superintendent candidates.
MASB will collect resumes and then conduct interviews of prospective candidates. Then, they will submit around three finalists, that the board will then interview themselves.
“You can choose one of their selections, or you can choose to go with one on your own,” said outgoing Board President Glenda Barrett. “It is up to the board’s discretion of who to hire.”
The next board meeting will be Jan. 12, 2023.
