Selma City School board selects Dr. David Scott as the new superintendent

The Selma City Schools District Board of Education voted on Tuesday to hire Dr. David Scott as the district's new superintendent.

Scott was approved in a 3-2 vote with board members Danielle Wooten and Tanya Miles opposing.

Scott has more than 30 years of experience in education, most recently as Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Tuscaloosa County. He replaces Dr. Zickeyous Byrd who retired in October after two years at Selma City Schools.

Board President Johnny Moss said in a statement the board's next step is to offer Dr. Scott the job and work out the details of a contract.

"Dr. Scott is poised to bring exceptional leadership, innovative ideas, and a genuine passion for student success to our district," the district said in a statement.

Moss said it was a "tough decision, but we feel he’s prepared to move our system forward academically and overall felt he was the best candidate to move forward with."

The district received 30 applications for the superintendent role. Last week, the school board narrowed the search to three candidates, including Scott, Dr. Davion Lewis of South Bend, Indiana, and Taurus Smith, who worked in Selma schools for 20 years before leaving to work for the state Department of Education.

Dr. David Scott is the director of curriculum and instruction at Tuscaloosa County Schools since 2021 and served as head of professional learning before that for two years. He works as an adjunct professor at community colleges and is part of accreditation teams. He has been a principal and leader of strategic planning efforts.