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The Alabama State Board of Education has taken over the Dallas County School District and placed Dr. Daniel Boyd to lead the district through the intervention process.

State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said Boyd took over as chief administrative officer on Friday. He said the state school board’s action was immediate. Boyd is also serving in the same role for Bessemer City School, which the state has already taken over.

“And we are going to be working very quickly,” Mackey said. “The superintendent in Selma (Anthony Sampson) has also turned in his resignation as of the end of the school year or sometime this summer. But he and I have been working pretty closely. Almost every day, we’ve been in conversation about making that a smooth transition, and he’s agreed to stay on and work with us through the next few months.

This came after the Dallas County School Board passed during its regular meeting Feb. 27 to agree and consent to the intervention. This came after they received a show cause letter from the state dated Feb. 21.

The resolution stated, “the DCBOE acknowledges that assistance from the State Superintendent is in the best interest of all Dallas County School System students.”

It went on to say that the DCBOE agrees that it will comply with any and all directives from the State Superintendent during the intervention period “including but not limited to those as outlined” in state law.

Mackey said he has met several times with the school district in previous weeks prior to the intervention.

“They have been good to work with,” said during his comments during the state school board meeting Thursday. “This is obviously not an easy thing when you’re a local school board member, and the state’s coming in to take over your district, but as you all probably know, they voted five oh to agree to the takeover because they understand they have some financial concerns that are gonna be a very heavy lift. They’re gonna be a very heavy lift with us in there, and they would be almost an impossible lift for a local school board to do on its own.”

Dallas County Schools has had several issues with finances that came to light in 2024. Because of that, the school district removed Sandra Purdie from that position and later tapped Quinnette Bruno to fill the vacant position.

Dallas County School Superintendent Anthony Sampson, who is leaving the district at the end of the school year, said they are working to comply with the state during the intervention process.

“We recognize the challenges ahead and remain committed to ensuring that our students, educators, and community continue to receive the support and resources necessary for success,” Sampson said. “As we await the next steps in this process, our focus remains on moving the Dallas County School System forward in a positive direction. We will continue working closely with state officials to facilitate a smooth transition and to make decisions that are in the best interest of our students and staff.”

Mackey said the Dallas County School Board has been cooperative with this process.

“I do want to say I appreciate the Dallas County Board’s approach to this because, again, they understand that they’re gonna need some help to get through this financial crisis,” Mackey said. “And we’re willing to offer them that help and thank you board members for supporting that.”