Madison County school board hires 1 of its own as superintendent

Allen Perkins

Allen Perkins was hired as new superintendent for Madison County Schools on Oct. 21, 2019.

After a deliberate search for a new superintendent, Madison County Schools found its new leader within the confines of its central office.

The school board on Monday night unanimously voted to hire Allen Perkins, the school system's director of equity and innovation, to fill the remaining three years of the elected term vacated by Matt Massey. Massey resigned in July to become president of the new state cyber and engineering school in Huntsville.

The board quickly voted to select Perkins following a motion made by board president Dave Weis.

The position for Madison County superintendent will be on the ballot in 2022. Weis said there was no discussion of running for election with any of the superintendent candidates.

Weis pointed out that finding an in-house candidate is not out of the ordinary. The superintendents of Huntsville City and Madison City schools were working within the central office of those school systems before being hired to lead the system.

Perkins has worked in the school system since 2003, beginning as a teacher at Madison County School before serving as an assistant principal and a middle school principal before moving to the central office as supervisor of instruction in 2015.

Weis said Perkins' familiarity with the school system was an advantage.

Perkins was one of five finalists identified by the Alabama Association of School Boards, which presented the finalists to the Madison County board. The board conducted public interviews with each of the five candidates, then narrowed the list to three for a second round of interviews.

Perkins will begin his new duties on Nov. 4. Deputy Superintendent Mark Minskey has been serving as interim superintendent since Massey departed. Minskey did not seek to be a candidate for the permanent position.

“I am humbled and excited to be selected as the superintendent of Madison County Schools," Perkins said in a statement Monday night. “It is a privilege I do not take lightly. Madison County is a district with great students, teachers, schools, and communities. I look forward to the challenges ahead and will work tirelessly to serve Madison County Schools.”

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