It came as somewhat of a surprise last week to hear that Natchez-Adams Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis is in the running for the same position with the Vicksburg-Warren School District.

It isn’t surprising that another school district would want to hire Davis, who has helmed the local school system for just more than two years.

In fact, Davis said he sees his interview with the Vicksburg-Warren School Board as evidence of the positive things happening in Natchez.

That progress makes it puzzling that Davis would consider leaving.

The Natchez-Adams District, which has been under a court-ordered desegregation plan since 1989, is &uot;beginning to turn the corner,&uot; Davis said last week.

Committees made up of community and educational leaders have been working on plans to build more recreation facilities – in conjunction with the city and county – and to reorganize the schools to alleviate overcrowding.

The school reorganization plan would still need approval from a federal judge, but it would go a long way toward improving education in Natchez.

Davis said he isn’t looking to leave the school district, but he wanted to examine the opportunity when a consultant asked him to apply for the Vicksburg job.

We understand Davis’ need to evaluate his career, but the Natchez-Adams School District needs a commitment to leadership, and we believe Davis is the person to provide it.

We hope Davis will finish what he has started in Natchez.