The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) has named Mike Kent interim state superintendent of education to serve April 3 through June 30 and announced plans to appoint a long-term interim superintendent to begin July 1.

Kent has served as interim deputy superintendent at the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) since 2012, after retiring as superintendent of the Madison County School District where he served for more than a decade. He brings more than 40 years of experience working in public education in Mississippi as a teacher, coach, principal, superintendent and state administrator.

Kent’s role at the MDE has included leadership training for superintendents and principals, overseeing the transition to the state’s A-F accountability system, leading legislatively mandated school district consolidations and supporting the state’s Districts of Transformation and Achievement School District. During his tenure as superintendent of the Madison County School District, Kent ensured the district’s consistently high academic performance, passed three school bond referendums totaling close to $200 million and oversaw construction of 13 school campuses. Kent served on the Board of Trustees of Holmes Community College from 2000 to 2011 and served on the executive boards of the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents, the Mississippi High School Activities Association and the Madison County Business League.

“Mike Kent has deep roots and experience in Mississippi’s public school system at the state and district level and is respected throughout the state for his wisdom and effective leadership,” said Rosemary Aultman, SBE chair. “The Board is confident he will provide continuity in leadership of the Mississippi Department of Education during this transition.”

The SBE will set a timeline for its search for a permanent state superintendent of education at a later date.