Eureka Springs School District Superintendent Curtis Turner has been tapped to lead the financially troubled Mineral Springs School District, the state Department of Education said Friday.
On Thursday, Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell took control of the Howard County district and dissolved the elected School Board.
Turner, who has been superintendent in the South Pike County, Delight, Clinton and Centerpoint school districts, has also worked in the Education Department's Fiscal Distress Unit, the department said. Turner starts July 1.
“Mr. Turner has experience in assisting fiscally distressed school districts develop and work through recovery and improvement plans. I believe he is the right person to look at the big picture and know what the priorities are,” Kimbrell said in a Friday statement. “We have to set a new strategic direction in Mineral Springs to put the district on sound financial footing and have schools that are student centered and focused on academic achievement.”
Turner will replace Acting Superintendent Bill Blackwood, who had exited retirement to temporarily lead the district.