Mississippi school district narrows chief search to 2

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — Two candidates remain in the search for the next person to lead the Pascagoula-Gautier School District in Mississippi.

The district's Board of Trustees announced Tuesday that the two finalists are Billy Ellzey, the current Kosciusko School District superintendent, and Dr. Christopher Williams, the current assistant superintendent for the Ocean Springs School District, WLOX-TV reported.

A community forum to meet the candidates will be held Monday, April 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Gautier. The public is invited to attend in person or by Facebook live on the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. The candidates will receive some questions ahead of time, some not until they are asked at the live event, and some from the virtual and in-person audience.

Ellzey has 22 years of experience in education and has been the superintendent in Kosciusko since 2017. Williams has been an educator for 20 years. He's been assistant superintendent in Ocean Springs since 2013.

The Pascagoula-Gautier School District’s next superintendent will replace Dr. Wayne Rodolfich, who is retiring after 17 years in that position and an additional six years in the district.