Two more school boards in the deep South fired superintendents last week but not without some controversy and community pushback.
The Thomasville City School Board in Georgia fired its first Black superintendent, Raymond Bryant, in a 4-3 vote. Bryant, who was just appointed in the summer of 2021, was the fourth superintendent hired by the district in the past several years, WTXL said. Some community members touted Bryant’s efforts to boost academic achievement but others cited high turnover and low morale among teachers, the station reported.
Yet more residents were seeing racial divisions in the small, rural community near the Florida border, WALB reported.
In North Carolina, Takeda LeGrand was removed from her post as superintendent of Scotland County Schools by a unanimous 5-0 school board vote, WBTW reported. LeGrand, who was hired in 2020, will receive a $165,466.79 severance payout.
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Rob McGee, superintendent of the Neshaminy School District in Pennsylvania, wasn’t fired but was escorted from his office in a district middle school and placed on leave late last month, according to LevitttownNow.com. The reasons for McGee’s absence from the district where he has been an employee for 20 years remain unclear, according to multiple local news outlets.
In more uplifting news, Osseo Area Schools in the Minneapolis suburbs has chosen Kim Hiel as its next superintendent. She will become the district’s first Black leader when she takes over in July. Hiel is currently the superintendent of Fridley Public Schools, also in the Twin Cities area, and had previously been an assistant superintendent and principal in Osseo.
One of Texas’ largest districts has chosen its next leader, replacing a superintendent who had served the district since 2012. John Craft, currently superintendent of Killeen ISD, will take the helm at Northside ISD in San Antonio upon the retirement of Brian Woods at the end of the school year. Craft has also served as the superintendent of Hamilton ISD.
McKinney ISD, also in Texas, just named 30-year education veteran Shawn Pratt as the lone finalist in its superintendent search. Pratt has previously served as McKinney ISD’s assistant superintendent of student activities, health and safety, and its athletic director.
Here’s a rundown of some of the other recent comings and goings in K12’s top jobs:
- Watertown City School District in New York has chosen Larry Schmiegel, currently a high school principal in Key West, Florida, as its next superintendent. He will take the reins in May.
- Chandler Smith has been appointed the next superintendent of West Baton Rouge Parish schools in Louisiana, The West Side Journal reported.
- Interim superintendent David Davis has been named the permanent superintendent of Carrollton Exempted Village School District in Ohio, CantonRep.com reported.
- Spencer Byrd has been picked to be the next superintendent of Cheboygan Area Schools in Michigan, according to the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
