The turbulent six-year tenure of Jeff May as superintendent of the Lawrence County School System has ended. Let us hope his departure will put an end to the constant controversy that has hampered progress in the district since May’s arrival in Lawrence County in 2003 and that the finger-pointing, accusations and angry words will be replaced by a renewed commitment by all parties to quality education. The children of Lawrence County deserve nothing less.
May announced Friday that he had been approved for disability retirement and would be stepping down effective Oct. 30. Because of continuing health problems, the superintendent has been absent from the district since mid-July.
May’s announcement that he was retiring came after the Lawrence County Board of Education had called a special meeting for Tuesday night to consider firing May. But instead of carrying out the threat of dismissal, the school board Tuesday wisely voted simply to accept May’s resignation, effective immediately, and named retired educator Michael Armstrong to serve as superintendent for six months — or until a permanent successor is named.
May came to Lawrence County from Pike County, where he had been a respected and award-winning educator. He succeeded the retiring Eddie Michael who has enjoyed a rather quiet stint as leader of the school district.
But almost from the day May arrived, the school system divided into pro-May and anti-May forces. Some — but not all — of the criticism came from those who had supported another candidate for superintendent. But regardless of the cause, the controversy has dominated life in the school system for six years, with May supporters thinking he could do no wrong and his critics finding little, if anything, positive to say about the leader of their school district.
For most of his term, May enjoyed the support of the elected members of the Lawrence County Board of Education, who responded to May’s many critics by voting to extend the contract of the superintendent. However, in last November’s election, anti-May forces gained control of the school board, virtually assuring May’s time as superintendent would end when his contract expired, if not sooner. But in a school system where controversy always seems to be brewing, there was even disagreement over when May’s contract would expire.
For most of his time as superintendent, this newspaper’s editorial board declined to become involved in the Jeff May controversy. One reason is because May’s critics failed to list specific reasons why he should be dismissed. Some Lawrence County residents were so opposed to May’s selection that they never gave him a fair chance in the district.
However, earlier this year, this newspaper called for May to step down. That was not because of anything he had done but because he no longer had the support of the school board. A school district cannot move forward if the superintendent and the school board are at odds. The superintendent is the only employee of the district that the school board hires, and it is essential that board members and their chosen leader share common goals and work together. With some school board members campaigning on a promise to fire Jeff May if elected, there was no way they were going to work closely with a superintendent they clearly did not want.
While being granted disability retirement because of a serious illness was the reason cited for May’s departure, his days as superintendent had been numbered for almost a year. By retiring, May simply saved the board from firing him.
Our hope is that the Lawrence County Board of Education will look outside the district and choose a superintendent who is an outstanding educator with no current or former ties to the district. Like Lawrence County, partisan politics used to hamper progress in the Carter County School District. That changed when the school board went outside the district to choose its superintendent.
Of course, the Lawrence County school board went outside the district in 2003 when it hired May. Unfortunately, it didn’t go far enough outside the district in making its choice.
If the school board stays within the district in choosing a successor to May, the controversy likely will continue. Hiring a gifted administrator with a passion for quality education is the best way to assure progress in a school district that has been hampered by petty politics for far too long.
