The Selma City School Board is in a no-win situation. They are faced with a danged if you do, danged if you don’t type of situation and they need a little help in getting out of this one.

When the majority of the school board decided to terminate the contract of superintendent of education Donald Jefferson, they did so without having all of their plans in place on how they would handle a leadership void at the top of the system. After a few weeks and a number of meetings, the board was able to appoint an interim superintendent.

But now, it is becoming abundantly clear they did not have a clear path on what was needed to find, hire and install the next permanent superintendent. When they terminated Jefferson, there was little discussion on the timeline they would need to follow in finding a permanent replacement. When they terminated Jefferson, it appears they did so without much consultation of state education leadership. If they had, they would have been better prepared for ensuring they had an extension request filed, allowing them the opportunity to hire a superintendent in June or July, rather than April or May. True, the board has now asked for and will likely be granted the extension, but this is the details that should have been in place from day one. The school board has now met with and heard proposals from three superintendent search committees and that search process may begin in the coming weeks.

Yes, the court action filed by Jefferson against the board remains pending, but the school board cannot wait for what might very well be a long, drawn out legal process. They need to get the process of finding a leader underway and under-way quickly. There is no more room for any more delays or mistakes.