WILMINGTON — Superintendent of Wilmington City Schools (WCS) Ron Sexton will retire this summer, and will help with the statewide search for his successor.
Sexton has been with the school district for 37 years — as a teacher, coach, high school principal and the superintendent.
“I’ve been so lucky. Thirty-seven years in a district is a long time,” Sexton said after Monday’s board of education meeting.
He said he achieved “all the goals that I wanted for my career” and, furthermore, attained them at one district.
“Most people don’t get that opportunity,” added Sexton. “It’s been wonderful.”
He thinks now is for him “a good stopping place,” explaining the district is on strong grounds financially.
“I think we have a lot of great things in place,” Sexton continued.
Strong finances have not always been the case while Sexton occupied the superintendent’s office. He became WCS superintendent, succeeding Phil Warner, in December 2008. The exodus of thousands of jobs from the Wilmington Air Park was about to accelerate.
His first two or three years at the helm of the district basically was about making cuts, he recalled.
“It’s so good to see this community now kind of headed in the right way and good things happening, and I think the district just mirrors the community with a lot of great things going on,” said Sexton.
His retirement will go into effect July 31, 2017.
In other WCS business Monday:
• The school board accepted Chromebook fee donations of $1,115 to “Help a Hurricane.” The donations came from Energize Clinton County via a number of individuals. Another $650, from five couples and one individual, was donated toward Chromebook fees to “Help a Hurricane.”
In a separate donation, the Wilmington Middle School Academic Booster Club donated $450 to Project Trust.
• The board approved a field trip request for the Wilmington High School Band to travel to Florida from Nov. 20, 2017 through Nov. 25, 2017.
• The board approved several people on Monday as substitute teachers for the 2016-17 school year: Rodney Captain, Kirstin Easterling, Tyler Hayslip, Fred Miller, Brooke Osterbrock, Amy Farr, Harold Thompson and Calvin Vanskiver.
• Arvil Hines, WCS mechanic, has retired effective Dec. 31, 2016.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
