The Newport Board of Education has officially launched its search for a permanent superintendent, setting a detailed timeline that would name a superintendent by February 2026.
The board held a special meeting on Nov. 12 to discuss planning for the permanent superintendent search. The board of education hired a Kentucky School Boards Association Consultant to assist in conducting the superintendent search. Consultant Tim Abrams was present at the special meeting.
The Newport Independent School District appointed Matt Atkins as its interim superintendent on June 25. Atkins’ interim appointment came after a two-hour closed session with the school board on May 15, when then-Superintendent Tony Watts resigned. Atkins’ interim term will last for one year, and he can be named the permanent superintendent if he applies and is selected.
According to the superintendent search timeline, here are some important dates to know:
Nov 13: The superintendent vacancy will be posted on the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky School Boards Association websites.
Through November, work will be underway to form the superintendent screening committee.
The committee will include two Newport Independent teachers elected by the teachers, one Newport Board of Education member appointed by the board chair (Ramona Malone), one principal elected by Newport Independent principals, one parent elected by a parent/teacher organization (since there is no active PTO in Newport this would be done through active advisory councils), and one classified employee from the district who is not a teacher and is elected by classified staff.
One member of the committee must be a minority; if a minority is not included among the six members, a special election will be held to add one.
“What I like about this process, we’re going to take some time, and your committee is going to spend a lot of time vetting through these applicants,” Abrams said. “When they come to you, they’ve got a lot of time invested and actually, if they’ve gotten on this committee, they have a lot of love for this school district, and they want what’s best for it.”
By Dec. 5: Establish a full screening committee. Once the committee is finalized, Abrams will hold a training session for all members, and each member will be required to sign a confidentiality clause.
“I know that there are other districts that do focus groups, like with the teachers, with the community,” Newport Board of Education Member Bobbie Stubbeman said. “Does that ever play a part in this process?”
Abrams said he would prepare a survey to be sent out mid-December to Newport residents, teachers, parents, business owners, etc., for their feedback.
Jan. 5, 2026: The application period for the superintendent position will close. All applications will be submitted to Abrams for review.
Jan. 7, 2026: Abrams will meet with the screening committee and the Newport Board of Education. During this meeting, he will ask the school board members to identify the characteristics and attributes they want to see in the next superintendent. The screening committee will review the applications that evening and conduct an initial paper screening to rank the top three to five candidates.
Jan. 12, 2026: The screening committee will reconvene to share their rankings. The top candidates will be selected for interviews.
Jan. 21–22, 2026: Interviews with the top candidates will take place on Jan. 21 and, if needed, Jan. 22. After the interviews, the committee will rank the candidates and prepare a recommendation for the Newport Board of Education.
Jan. 28, 2026: The screening committee will meet with the Newport Board of Education in an executive session to present its recommendations. At that point, the decision-making process will be handed over to the board.
Feb. 4, 2026: The timeline anticipates that on or around Feb. 4, the Newport Board of Education will conduct candidate interviews.
Feb. 11, 2026: The timeline predicts that the permanent superintendent role should be announced by Feb. 11.