Montgomery County Board of Education selects new superintendent amid controversy
The Montgomery County Board of Education on Tuesday night voted to name Dr. Zickeyous Byrd as the next superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools, concluding a months-long search process that drew criticism from local leaders and members of the community.
Byrd, who served as superintendent of Selma City Schools, was selected with four yes votes votes over one other finalist. The decision follows weeks of debate surrounding the transparency and scope of the superintendent search.
“This time we were intentional to make sure to bring you into the fold to ask what is it that you want in a leader,” said Board President Arica Watkins-Smith during the meeting.
Numerous local leaders voiced frustration with the process. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, and members of the city council and county commission criticized the board’s limited approach and lack of transparency.
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce President Anna Buckalew said she was “deeply disappointed” in both the process and the board’s final decision.
“I’m deeply disappointed with the board’s decision and deeply disappointed in a process that people spent hours tonight defending, and it resulted in a candidate from a failing school system, that’s retired,” Buckalew said. “Nothing personal about that candidate — I don’t know that candidate — and we will be back at the table trying to help the school system, but this is disappointing.”
Mayor Steven Reed issued a statement on his own frustrations, saying in part:
“I am disappointed by the Montgomery Public School Board’s decision to move forward with selecting a new superintendent tonight. This moment called for unity, not urgency. It called for collaboration with the broader community, not closed-door decisions. Our students, teachers, and families deserve a process that is transparent, inclusive, and focused on long-term success — not short-term optics.”
School Board President Arica Watkins-Smith released this statement, saying in part:
“Dr. Byrd brings with him not only a deep familiarity with our community but also a proven commitment to equity, transformational leadership, and the full liberation of student potential.
“We did not arrive at this decision lightly. We sought a leader who would not simply maintain the status quo but one who would courageously confront systemic inequities, foster collective healing, and elevate our shared vision of a school district where all children thrive. Dr. Byrd is that leader. His calling to serve this district is rooted in purpose, not position—a calling that resonates with our deepest hopes for just and thriving schools.
“We must name what we know to be true: these have been challenging times. Our schools, like our nation, have wrestled with division, with moments of distrust, and with the weight of histories too often left unspoken. Yet, as one of my colleagues so powerfully reminded us last night, ‘a divided house cannot stand.’ This is our charge: to become a house united — not in uniformity, but in our shared commitment to excellence, dignity and love for the children and families we serve.”
During the three-hour meeting, Rev. Ronald Davis and eight other ministers from the Montgomery Metro Minister’s Union — representing more than 100 churches — urged the board to delay the vote and continue the search.
“We’ve got to come together. Please, please let’s delay the decision, reset and move on,” Davis said.
Dr. Shawn Joseph of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, the firm overseeing the superintendent search, defended the process. He told the board that 46 candidates from 10 states applied and that the top six underwent comprehensive state and federal background checks. Those six were publicly announced in February.
“You had one of the most thorough processes in the country,” Joseph said. “You had a national slate … five sitting superintendents in an open search. That’s rare.”
According to Joseph, the search included 17 focus groups and nearly 1,000 surveys from parents, staff and community members. The process began in January.
Despite her concerns, Buckalew said the Chamber hopes to work collaboratively with the new superintendent.
“The Chamber hopes that our superintendent will be wildly successful, and we will try to do our best to be a good partner and move forward,” she said. “ There was a lot of talk tonight about unity and wanting to quit the rhetoric and be united. But, united does not mean a four-vote margin on a board that drives a decision that no one else wanted.”
The position became open when Dr. Melvin Brown resigned last year after about two years on the job.
