|
By Joel Frady
The Ashe County Board of Education named Dr. Travis Reeves,
principal of East Guilford High School, the
 |
new superintendent of Ashe County Schools on Thursday, May
7, after the board voted 3-2 to offer Reeves the position. The
decision came after months of interviews and less than two months
before Donnie Johnson, the current superintendent, is set to
retire.
Reeves, who was also principal of East Montgomery High School
in Biscoe and Jones Intermediate School in Mount Airy, will
begin a four-year term on Wednesday, July 1. A native of Alleghany
County, Reeves said that team work and trust are two of the
qualities he will bring to the job.
"I want to build on the good things, to get people involved
in a team-like atmosphere to make the decisions for the school
system and for the students," he said. He said that his
interest in being a superintendent seemed like the natural step
for Reeves, who was a teacher and a coach (football, golf) before
he became a principal.
"As I've learned more about being a professional and being
an educator, I've just taken on more responsibilities,"
said Reeves. "It just came naturally.
"I'm drawn to it," he continued. "I certainly
enjoy education, enjoy working with the students, teachers and
parents, and I feel like it's what I'm supposed to be doing."
Reeves will move to Ashe County with his wife and two children.
He said they are "very excited about moving into the community
and getting involved."
The vote to offer Reeves the job didn't come easily for the
board, however, as two of the five members wanted to give the
job to Bobby Ashley, principal of Ashe County Middle School.
Board member A.B. Weaver made a motion to nominate Ashley shortly
after the special Board meeting was called to order. Board member
Dorothy Witherspoon seconded the motion.
"We, your school board, have interviewed a number of applicants,
all of whom could have served at the helm or our local education
district," said Weaver. "Each of us has arrived at
our choice - I hope with independent forethought and deliberate
conclusion."
Weaver said that "in most situations, right-thinking people"
could agree on "a candidate who would rise so decisively
above the other that there would be no doubt about the validity
of their choice. In this case, however, I do not believe that
has occurred.
"I believe we have made several errors in our choice,"
he later added, noting that Ashley was both qualified for the
position and already acquainted with the school system.
"It will take a year for an outsider to learn anything
about how Ashe County Schools and how they function or dysfunction
- according to your view," he said. "Maybe I just
don't get it. What I do know for certain is that we have made
a huge mistake in not hiring Bobby Ashley for our superintendent."
Witherspoon said that she wanted to "look within the district
at persons who expressed an interest before looking outside
the district," but as the search narrowed to the final
three candidates "it became apparent that a local candidate
was not among them.
"There was not a single candidate that has higher qualifications
than [Ashley]," she said. Witherspoon later noted that
she "will support Dr. Reeves, and I encourage you to support
him to make this a smooth transition for him and his family."
The board voted 2-3 against offering the position to Ashley,
then moved on to a motion to offer the position to Reeves. Board
member Lee Beckworth said that the goal of the selection process
was always to "hire the best we could find that was available,
because that's what Ashe County deserves."
He later noted that "to me, one person stands out among
that group as the person that can lead Ashe County schools to
achieve great things in the future.
"Make no mistake about it, he has a big set of shoes to
fill," said Beckworth. "If you wonder why we looked
for a candidate that exhibited the highest level of professional,
ethical and moral behavior, that's because that's what we've
been used to in the last 10 years."
Shortly after 7:20 p.m., the board voted 3-2 in favor of Reeves.
Beckworth, Charlie King and C.B. Jones voted for Reeves, which
Weaver and Witherspoon cast the 'nay' votes.
No matter what the vote, Reeves said "thank you to the
school board for selecting me.
"We've got a lot of work to do between now and July 1 in
this transition," he said. "We look forward to joining
the community and being a part of it."
Ashley also extended his best wishes to Reeves, who he met through
the principal's executive program.
"He's a very sharp person and I know he is very intelligent
and I think he'll do a good job on Ashe County," said Ashley.
To find out more about Ashe County Schools, call (336) 246-7175
or click to www.ashe.k12.nc.us.
|
Get Firefox