If all goes well, a new CISD superintendent could be named as early as Tuesday, said Wayne Mitchell, interim chief of the district.

Jim Dunlap and Dr. Russell Marshall, heads of Arrow Educational Services Inc., were hired by the district to screen candidates for the position. Marshall was head of the search team that recruited Johnson for the position in 2005, Mitchell said.

Marshall and the search team received 41 applications for the post and trustees subsequently narrowed that list down to six finalists, Mitchell said.

“That many applications was just outstanding,” Mitchell said. “That's a good number of applicants for a school district this size.”

Despite the tentative timetable, there is no firm schedule for naming a new superintendent, Mitchell said.

“If they like any of the six candidates they interview this week, they'll likely call one or two of them back for a second round of interviews next week,” he said. “Tuesday is the earliest date they would pick somebody.”

State law mandates that once a district names a new superintendent, it must wait 21 days before officially hiring a replacement. In that case, it will be the first week in August at the earliest before a replacement for Johnson becomes official, Mitchell said.

Johnson, formerly superintendent at Somerville ISD, was hired by Coahoma school trustees in April 2005 after a three-month search, replacing Dr. Bill Kingston. Among Johnson's accomplishments at Coahoma was the successful campaign to get $13 million in construction and renovation projects approved by voters in 2006.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it