By John Balch
News-Leader staff
The South Pike County School Board voted unanimously last week to go in-house for the district’s new superintendent with the hiring of Tanya Wilcher for the 2022-2023 school year.
Wilcher was one of 11 applicants for the job that also included High School Principal Davey Jones.
Other applicants included Kimberly Turner, Bismarck school; Mike Radebaugh, Yerger Middle School in Hope; Brian Nation, Hughes Springs, Texas; James Galarza, Mountain Pine school; Netlla Cureton, Paris School; Mickey Ford, Cossatot River school; Frank Janaskie, Fountain Lake school; Toby Crosby, Mountain Pine school; and Angie Bryant, Prescott school.
The field was narrowed down to Wilcher, Jones, Ford, Bryant and Cureton during the board’s meeting on Feb. 8. After a day of interviews on Feb. 10, the board voted to hire Wilcher, who is currently the district’s director of programs and covid-19 “point of contact.”
Wilcher has a long career in education and has been worked in the South Pike County School District, as well as the former Delight School District for 23 years. She is a 1990 graduate of Murfreesboro High School and was the class valedictorian. Her mother, Arlene Fugitt, is currently the Murfreesboro Elementary School principal.
Wilcher holds a masters of science in education in secondary school administration degree from Henderson State University and a bachelor of science in education in secondary mathematics from HSU. From 2002-2006, Wilcher obtained her doctoral program in leadership and supervision from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
She became director of program in 2016 and also served as elementary principal from 2009-2016. From 2007-2009, Wilcher was high school counselor and from 2005-2007 was principal at the former Delight district where she also served as interim superintendent in 2004.
