The York County School Board voted unanimously Monday to name Chief Operating Officer Carl James the interim superintendent when Eric Williams leaves for Loudoun County Public Schools this summer.
Williams will leave the York County School Division on June 30. The school board will not be ready to name a new superintendent when he leaves, so James, who has worked for YCSD for 41 years, will handle superintendent duties until a replacement is named.
York County School Board Chairman Mark Medford said Monday the board hopes to announce a new superintendent by September or October. He said the board does not want to rush the decision, and that the successful candidate may have to give a lengthy notice to his or her current employer before leaving that role and joining YCSD.
James has 25 years of experience in educational administration. He has served in his current position since 2008.
“He has his fingers in about everything you think of in a school division,” Medford said after noting he knew James during his time as a YCSD student.
During his time with YCSD, James has served as a high school principal, principal for instruction, assistant principal, teacher and coach. He has also worked as an adjunct professor for the George Washington University’s Hampton Roads Center.
“I feel extremely honored to be chosen by my school board, a board I’ve worked with for a number of years to express this level of confidence in me,” James said.
James received his bachelor’s degree from Elizabeth City State University, a master’s degree from Virginia State University and his doctorate in education from the George Washington University. He has served in the past as a member of the board of directors for the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals.
The school board voted unanimously in April to turn to the Virginia School Boards Association for a national search to replace Williams. The application materials for the YCSD superintendent job went online at the group’s website on Monday, with the application window closing June 13.
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