School board names Hunnell interim superintendent; continues search for permanent hire
- Chuck Thompson
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
EDUCATION – In a 9-0 decision by the Cleveland County Schools Board of Education, Dr. Brian Hunnell was named Interim Superintendent of CCS Tuesday evening, during a closed session of a public special called meeting of the school board.
A 29-year employee of CCS, Dr. Hunnell currently serves as the Cleveland County Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. He will assume the interim superintendent role upon Dr. Stephen Fisher’s scheduled departure on July 1, 2026.
With a united 9-0 vote by the school board in favor of Hunnell to steer the ship while the school board continues to look for a permanent replacement, is a rare occurrence on such an important vote, showing their confidence in Hunnell’s ability and the boards dedication for the best interest of the staff and students of Cleveland County Schools.
Chairman of the CCS Board of Education, Joel Shores, echoed that unity and the positivity of Tuesday night's unified decision.
“I really am proud that the board voted 9-0 confident that Dr. Hunnell will do a splendid job,” Shores said to The Shelby Independent. “He’s been here 29 years and serves as an associate superintendent; he fits what we need to move the school system forward into the upcoming school year until we get our permanent superintendent, which we hope to do that very soon.”
Hunnell also took a moment to speak with The Shelby Independent, stating, “I’m excited about the opportunity and appreciate the board’s 9-0 vote and their support and just look forward to continuing the great things happening at Cleveland County Schools.”
Dr. Stephen Fisher, who has served as CCS superintendent since July 2014, announced his retirement back in February; The Shelby Independent was the first local news site to break that story on February 27.
During the special meeting Tuesday night, before the announcement of Dr. Hunnell’s unanimous vote to serve as interim, the school board discussed the process of finding a permanent replacement for Fisher and the survey that was conducted, asking the employees and the public their opinions about what to look for in finding a new superintendent.
The meeting was held in the staff development building.
Sam Thorp, director of executive search and membership engagement, from The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) shared the results of the survey and what steps need to be taken next in the search for a superintendent.
(Superintendent search continued below...)
Thorp presented a PowerPoint of the search process and the application deadline of June 8.
The school board will meet again on Monday, June 15, to discuss and review the applications from potential candidates.
Shores noted he wanted to clarify that no applications will be sent by email to board members.
They will base the applications off credentials and not see race and gender to keep the process fair for all applicants.
Thorp went over the survey with the board, noting 808 surveys were started by the public and 617 were completed. Also, there were 579 surveys started by staff with 481 that were completed. He thanked the entire CCS staff and the community who took time to participate in the survey.
Participants ranged from students, to parents, staff, and residents without a school-aged child at home, some were retired and some were business owners. Parents of at least one child or more, along with alumni of CCS were the majority of participants.
Both community members and staff that participated had a lot of agreement on the importance of providing a safe environment, holding tight to integrity, possessing the knowledge needed, and listening to input - the only difference is the community wanted the new superintendent to communicate better with the public and staff picked better communication.
While there were some differences, the staff and public seemed to agree on a majority of concerns / questions. Having been an effective principal and a successful educator were agreed upon by the majority of participants.
School Board Member Kenneth Ledford asked about once they received all resumes what time period do they have between June 9 and time to review the resumes. The answer to that is June 25, 2026.
Grigg asked about a deadline for a decision, to which the answer by Shores was, “That’s up to us,” to which Grigg nodded.
Shores added, “Once we know how many we got - on June 26 we will name another date and get together and decide when we want to set a goal for interviews, but I don’t think we know that until we know how many we have.”
School Board Member Danny Blanton said he read every survey, stating, “I read everyone. Maybe twice, and it was interesting what people said and I did my job and will continue to do my job for us to select the best person (for superintendent).”
(Superintendent search continued below...)
Ledford added, “My recommendation is that when we do get a superintendent, that the new superintendent be able to review all these surveys.”
“I think that’s something a good superintendent will do,” replied Shores.
Thorp is scheduled to return on June 15 with a follow up in the search process.
Blanton asked how many had already applied to this point, to which Thorp said it was best not to discuss it to avoid anyone from being discouraged from applying.
The next regularly scheduled CCS Board of Education meeting is scheduled for June 8, 2026.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
2026, The Shelby Independent.
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