New Bedford School Committee Grills Third Superintendent Finalist

Dr. Kriner Cash, one of three finalists for the Superintendent of Schools position in New Bedford, provided a fair assessment of the status of the city's school system, and gave a thumbnail sketch of what he would do immediately if he were hired.

The former four-year Superintndent of Memphis, Tennessee, was interviewed Wednesday night, the last in a series of public interviews.

Cash tells WBSM News the city's failing graduation rate needs to be addressed from the ground up.

Cash introduced several safety net measures in Memphis, one of which included preventing students in grades K-3 from staying back, a controversial idea. Cash was, however, successful in improving Memphis's graduation rate by roughly 20%.

He would also like to see curricula and classroom technologies brought into the 21st century, and identify cost-saving measures wherever possible.