School board chooses superintendent candidates

School board members selected four candidates to be interviewed for the position of superintendent of Siloam Springs School District during a special meeting on Tuesday evening.

The finalists, chosen from a field of 15 applicants, are Jody Wiggins, assistant superintendent of Siloam Springs Schools; Andy Ashley, superintendent of Cedar Ridge Schools; Allen Williams, assistant superintendent of finance of Prairie Grove Schools; and Wayne Fawcett, superintendent of Paris Schools.

Interviews for the four finalists will be held during the week of April 1.

School board members held a two-hour executive session to choose which candidates to interview.

Current Superintendent Ken Ramey announced during the Jan. 10 school board meeting that he will be retiring at the end of the school year after a 52-year career in education. School board members decided on a timeline for hiring a new superintendent at a work session later that month and accepted applications through Feb. 8.

Ramey said he worked to vet each candidate's application and ranked the candidates as tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3. However, he said school board members have been reviewing application packets on their own and reached their own conclusions.

"They read them and made their own decisions, which I'm proud of them for," he said.

About the candidates

According to a press release from the school district, Wiggins has been employed by the Siloam Springs School District for 17 years and has held his current position for 6.5 years. His job responsibilities include Federal programs coordinator, overseeing classified employees and supervisors, facilities and day-to-day operations. He came to Siloam Springs from Lincoln High School where he was high school principal. He is a former math teacher and coach, the release states.

Ashley has served as superintendent of Cedar Ridge School District, located in Newark in eastern Arkansas, since 2015, the release states. He received his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arkansas in 2018. He has also served as an administrator for 15 years in Lonoke, Vilonia and Cedar Ridge. Ashley's teaching background is in math and coaching at the Cabot School District, it states.

Williams is currently serving as the assistant superintendent of finance of Prairie Grove Schools, the release states. He is also a former superintendent of schools for the district, according to a report in the Washington County Enterprise-Leader. Twenty-one of his 33 years in education have been spent in Springdale and Prairie Grove. Williams is also the former chief financial officer of Springdale Schools and has worked in the Vilonia School District as assistant superintendent, and in Springdale High School as principal. He is a former math and chemistry teacher.

Fawcett is currently serving as superintendent of Paris Schools, a position he has held for seven years, the release states. He has a total of 13 years of experience as a superintendent in three districts in Arkansas. He has served eight years as high school principal in Marion and overall he has 35 years of experience in education. He received his doctorate from Harding University in 2017. He has also taught social studies and has a master's degree from UALR in gifted education.

General News on 03/27/2019

The story has been updated to change Allen Williams title.