Three finalists selected for Fort Smith Public Schools superintendent

The Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS) Board of Education voted Wednesday to interview three finalists — all from Arkansas and one who is now a school district employee — for the position of superintendent of schools.

The board went with the recommendation of McPherson Jacobson LLC, the search company helping the district find a new superintendent, to interview Jason Black, Ann Martfeld, and Martin Mahan for the top position in the district. None of the finalists chosen have a doctorate degree.

Black is the deputy superintendent for Conway Public Schools, a position he has held for just over three years. He first went to work for CPS in 2021, when he was hired as the assistant superintendent of operations and administrative services. Black was the superintendent for the Smackover (Arkansas) School District for three years. Prior to that, he was the director of special federal programs for the Hallsville Independent School District in Texas.

Black has degrees from Louisiana Tech University and Texas A&M University. He has a superintendent certification from Texas A&M. He has 20 years experience in education in roles as teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, director and superintendent.

Martfeld is a Fort Smith native and graduate of Southside High School. She is one of two assistant superintendents at Pea Ridge Public Schools. She has been employed by Pea Ridge Public Schools since 2019. She was principal at Siloam Springs High School from July 2018 to July 2019. She also was an assistant principal for Springdale Public Schools.

She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree and education specialist degree from Arkansas State University.

Mahan is the deputy superintendent of FSPS, a position he has held since December 2020. During his tenure with FSPS, Mahan has held a variety of roles, including assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, assistant superintendent of human resources and campus support, executive director of human resources and director of secondary education, among others.

He has a bachelor’s degree in education from Henderson State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas. He also holds an educational specialist degree from Arkansas Tech University.

Dr. Ken James with McPherson Jacobson said though it was a short search period, the position had 20 applicants from several different states.

“You may be worried that all three are from the state of Arkansas,” James said. “We did not find any of the outside (of the state) candidates that met all criteria and had enough experience. … Those from the states had some good experiences, but they did not compare.”

The FSPS Board of Education will interview the finalists the first week of April with the goal of naming a superintendent by mid-April.

The FSPS school board agreed during a special called meeting Feb. 3 to expedite the search for a new superintendent of schools, setting a Feb. 20 deadline for applications.

Former Superintendent Dr. Terry Morawski submitted his resignation Jan. 17 with his last day to be June 30. This is the third time in the past eight years that the FSPS has had to fill the top administrative position. Dr. Benny Gooden, who was the district superintendent for 30 years, retired in 2016. He was first hired as FSPS superintendent in 1986. Dr. Doug Brubaker was hired as the superintendent in December 2016, starting his career with the district on Jan. 18, 2017. He left at the end of 2020 to take the superintendent position of Texarkana (Texas) Independent School District. Morawski, who had served as the district’s deputy superintendent since 2018, took over the position Jan. 4, 2021.