EDITORIALS

Change at BOE suggests success

Staff Writer
Augusta Chronicle

If you wish to move forward, sometimes you have to go with what works.

Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw works.

The former deputy school superintendent for the Richmond County School System, who left just last year, was voted unanimously by the school board Thursday to return to Augusta to replace departing School Superintendent Dr. Angela Pringle.

Since Dr. Pringle and her team have rightly stressed the importance of building strong families to help build stronger schools, we don’t think anyone is begrudging one of her important reasons for her departure - to be closer to the closest members of her own family. Her new post - as superintendent of schools in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, N.C. - puts her much closer to where she should be, as much as it pains us to say it.

Her last day working here is Aug. 30 - next Friday. Dr. Bradshaw takes his new job Sept. 5, starting a 34-month work contract. He is leaving his post as chief operations officer of Hamilton County School District in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“I’m making this motion with a heart broken and I’m making this motion with gratitude,” board member Marion Barnes said as he moved to hire Dr. Bradshaw. “One person’s leaving, one person’s coming, and I love both of them to death, so we know we’re going to be alright.”

We think so, too.

The hope among school board members was to choose a replacement who could pick up seamlessly where Dr. Pringle left off. That helps immensely with consistency. She christened several successful initiatives during her tenure. Dr. Bradshaw’s familiarity with many of those programs and many of the people he will soon be supervising would prove an undeniable asset.

In some cases he’ll be overseeing programs he himself began. Dr. Bradshaw started and helped build the school system’s partnership with Textron Specialized Vehicles for the solidly successful Reaching Potential Through Manufacturing initiative that builds work experience, life skills and self-esteem among its student participants. It’s also helping reverse Richmond County schools’ dropout rate.

Dr. Bradshaw applied for the Richmond County superintendent’s job before, in 2014, but in that round of applicants Dr. Pringle got the nod. The decision then was simultaneously easy and difficult for the school board - easy because Dr. Pringle is so qualified, and difficult because Dr. Bradshaw is so qualified.

Thank heaven for second chances.

Dr. Bradshaw is no stranger to filling a formidable pair of shoes when starting a new job. When he arrived in Augusta in 2014, he replaced Richmond County Deputy School Superintendent Tim Spivey, who resigned to cap an impressive 33-year career with the school system.

Dr. Bradshaw’s credentials are no less impressive. A former principal at two DeKalb County schools just east of Atlanta, he rose to become regional superintendent of DeKalb County in 2009, managing 58 schools. If that doesn’t impart to you his attitude toward maintaining discipline, know also that he’s an Army National Guard veteran of both Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Learning that Dr. Pringle is leaving Augusta gives us a sense of regret that’s best soothed with the knowledge that Dr. Bradshaw is returning. In their new jobs, we wish both veteran educators the very best.