 Iredell County - former home of Kentucky's newest superintendent Kentucky’s state Board of Education chose Dr. Terry Holliday as the new superintendent of schools. Holliday most recently served as district superintendent in the Iredell-Statesville Schools system in North Carolina. Iredell-Statesville Schools have 20,000 students. From the system’s website:
“About Iredell-Statesville Schools
With more than 20,000 students, Iredell-Statesville Schools ranks among the 20 largest school districts in North Carolina. Our teachers represent a wealth of knowledge, with the average teacher in our district having 15 years of teaching experience. Student performance continues to improve, placing Iredell-Statesville Schools among the top 25% of school districts in the state. In fact, our SAT scores, graduation rate, and writing scores are among the best in North Carolina. As a district committed to quality and a 2008 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Iredell-Statesville Schools serves as a model school district not only for other districts in North Carolina, but also across the entire nation.
About Iredell County
Iredell County is the perfect blend of urban, suburban, and rural- with an abundance of agricultural resources, as well as sophisticated technical industry. From lakeside to countryside, the county is rich with thriving communities and sleepy little towns.
- Lake Norman boasts more than 520 miles of shoreline
- Less than 2 hours to the Blue Ridge Mountains; 4 hours to the Atlantic Ocean
- Within easy driving distance to: Charlotte (40 mi.); Winston-Salem (40 mi.); Greensboro (60 mi.); Asheville (90 mi.); Raleigh (150 mi.); and Wilmington (250 mi.)
- Nearby spectator sports include Carolina Panthers football, Charlotte Bobcats basketball, Carolina Hurricanes hockey, and numerous minor league baseball teams
- Birthplace of NASCAR, with many race shops located in Iredell County and Lowe's Motor Speedway less than 50 miles southeast of Statesville
- A variety of nearby colleges and universities, including: UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro, Lenoir-Rhyne, Gardner-Webb, Catawba College, Wake Forest, Appalachian State, and more.”
Dr. Holliday was named North Carolina superintendent of the year in 2009. He is a former band director, receiving a bachelor’s in music education from Furman University in 1972. His advanced degrees, including his PhD in educational administration were earned at Winthrop University. For his resume, go to Kentucky School News .
Winthrop wrote a blog on his district website and adopted the use of Twitter and Facebook as ways to reach parents and students.
Governor Beshear’s office released a statement from the Governor. “I met with Dr. Holliday this morning to discuss one of my administration’s highest priorities -- the education of our children. I was impressed with his commitment to and passion for education and I look forward to working with him. I appreciate the Board of Education’s diligent work over these last months while searching for a new education commissioner. Dr. Holliday is a very capable and distinguished educator and administrator. I welcome him to Kentucky where he will work with some of the best classroom instructors and school administrators in the nation.”
An award winning administrator trained in music education from the birthplace of NASCAR – an interesting choice for Kentucky schools. |
