SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — Outgoing Sumter School District superintendent Penelope Martin-Knox is headed to Missouri.
Martin-Knox will serve as the superintendent of Raytown C-2 School District beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. The district, located near Kansas City, Missouri, says her term will begin July 1.
“We are excited about the selection of Dr. Martin-Knox and look forward to a long and exceptional partnership," Raytown Board of Education President Mr. Alonzo Burton said.
The moves comes after Martin-Knox announced back in December that she was not seeking an extension to her contract with the Sumter School District and would be leaving at the end of her contract on June 30, 2022.
"I thoroughly love the children in Sumter School District," Martin-Knox said in a statement released by the district in December. "The decision not to extend my contract is for personal and professional reasons. My plans after June 30 are to continue to serve children."
In January, the Sumter School District Board of Trustees voted to begin moving forward with their search for a new superintendent.
At the January school board meeting, parents expressed disappointment with the Martin-Knox's decision to leave and at least one questioned what, if anything, had prompted the decision.
Meanwhile, the search for a new Sumter School District superintendent has continued. The board is working with the S.C. School Boards Association to conduct the search.
Judy LeGrand, one of the search coordinators with the association, says they've been hosting meetings with community leaders, businesses, and school staff to aid in the search, and have received some interest in the position since opening the search January 27. She says they could have a new Superintendent chosen by May.
Martin-Knox was hired by Sumter County School District in March of 2019. She had previously held several positions within the Baltimore, Maryland Public School systems, including as a principal and assistant superintendent. She began her education career as a middle school music teacher.