SUMTER, S.C. — Dr. William Wright, Sumter School District's pick for new superintendent, is no stranger to education.
As a boy, his mother gave him a glimpse of his future.
"My mother was a career educator, so she was working in the school," Dr. Wright said. "So, I started as a substitute teacher. The thing about education is once you get involved in education, it's kind of difficult to get out of it because you get to impact the lives of students.”
Perhaps it was part fate and part passion for the husband and father of two who went on to become a middle school and a high school principal, an assistant superintendent and a superintendent twice over.
"I believe in collaborative leadership," Dr. Wright said. "Good organizations and particularly school districts move forward when you maximize the potential of the employees that serve.”
He's currently serving as head of Hertford County Public Schools in North Carolina, home to about 2,900 students, but worked at Harnett County Schools, which has roughly 19,000 students, in the past as assistant superintendent.
"That particular experience uniquely qualifies me for a district the size of the Sumter, if you will, coupled with the fact that the smaller the district the more involved a superintendent is," Dr. Wright said.
When he begins at Sumter School District this summer, Dr. Wright said he hopes to build on its successes, getting to know the community and partnering with faculty, families, and other stakeholders.
“I am absolutely committed to staying around," Dr. Wright said. "We’re going to come in and take some time to really understand who we are and listen to multiple stakeholders.”
While Dr. Wright official begins over the summer, he said he'll be working with district leaders to decide on replacements for two other high-level leaders at the district who announced they'll be leaving at the end of the school year.
According to news releases from both districts, Dr. Brenda Hafner will become the deputy superintendent at Dorchester School District Two in Summerville and Jennifer Miller will take over as Chief Financial Officer for Lexington District One.
Dr. Wright says he hopes the candidates will have strong leadership skills with a heart for the position and experience in school accounting.
"I'm just looking forward to this next chapter," Dr. Wright said.
Dr. Wright officially begins July 1.