Written by the Covington Board of Training
In June, the Covington Board of Training took an essential step ahead—one which displays our shared values, our accountability to college students, and our dedication to clear management.
On June 26, our Board unanimously authorized a decision to start a nationwide seek for the following superintendent of Covington Unbiased Public Colleges. The decision authorizes the Board Chair, in coordination with authorized counsel, to formally talk that the Board doesn’t intend to supply a brand new contract when the present superintendent’s time period concludes on June 30, 2026. It additionally empowers us to start exploring skilled search companies to assist a well-executed, inclusive transition course of.
This motion was not taken evenly. It adopted years of public dialogue, ongoing analysis, and a rising consensus that the district’s management was not absolutely aligned with the imaginative and prescient our neighborhood has persistently voiced on the poll field.
Earlier this yr, the superintendent knowledgeable every member of the Board that he meant to retire on the finish of his present time period. That communication initiated what we hoped can be a deliberate and clear planning course of. The Board Chair shared prematurely that we might start discussing the search timeline at our June 12 assembly, offering each alternative to lift considerations. As an alternative, at that public assembly, the superintendent expressed shock and launched uncertainty by suggesting he may now search a brand new contract.
The decision we handed supplies the readability that second known as for: no, the Board doesn’t plan to supply a brand new contract. As an alternative, we’ll transfer ahead with goal and transparency—not targeted on personalities, however on the longer term our college students deserve.
This isn’t about anybody particular person. It’s about path, management, and outcomes. As a Board, we respect the work of anybody who devotes themselves to public schooling. However we’re accountable to the youngsters and households of Covington. And the reality is, too lots of our college students are nonetheless being left behind.
We perceive that many in our neighborhood really feel a deep private connection to the superintendent, and we respect and honor these emotions. This choice was not made in haste or with disregard. It was guided by considerate consideration, cautious analysis, and a shared dedication to the way forward for our district. Whereas change could be tough, we’re united in our perception that new management is required to satisfy the evolving wants of our college students, households, and employees.
Covington is a metropolis in transformation. With historic funding, rising momentum, and a renewed civic spirit, our public faculty system should meet this second with management that builds belief, engages households, facilities scholar achievement, and companions with the broader neighborhood.
The decision charts a path ahead for that type of management. It supplies readability, stability, and a timeline that permits for inclusive engagement and a considerate search course of that displays our neighborhood’s values.
This yr marks 200 years of public schooling in Covington—a exceptional legacy. However legacies should not preserved by avoiding onerous selections. They’re strengthened by braveness, readability, and an unshakable perception in what’s doable.
We now look forward with focus and resolve. The work of figuring out our subsequent superintendent can be open, community-centered, and grounded within the pursuit of educational excellence for all of Covington’s younger folks.
This vote was about greater than a decision. It was about accountability. And it was a unanimous assertion that we’re main—collectively—with each precept and goal.
Covington Board of Training
Tom Haggard, Chair
Stephen Gastright, Vice Chair
Kareem Simpson
Hannah Edelen
Michelle Williams
