PRINCE EDWARD – The County's high school will have a new principal next year.

Principal Craig Reed will take a middle school principal's position in Norfolk.

“I'm looking forward to it,” Reed said during a break in Wednesday's school board meeting. “But at the same time, it's been very fortunate to work with the people at Prince Edward County…and we've had a wonderful superintendent, wonderful school board. But most importantly, we have great teachers, we have great students and I have learned a lot. It's really set a foundation, not only for my success, but the success of the students that I will service.”

Reed will start his new position July 1.

“I think we've accomplished a lot,” Reed, a Prince Edward County High School graduate, stated. “We have…about 84 percent (passing SOLs) in English, we have 70 percent in math, so we're feeling good about that. Of course, there's a lot more work to be done, but we're in a good place right now. We feel good about our graduation rate as well.”

His resignation was approved as part of the school board's personnel report.

“We appreciate all of the leadership that he's provided for the high school and we wish him well in the future and we're grateful for everything that he was able to do in the three years of his employment,” Division Superintendent Dr. David Smith told The Herald.

Dr. Smith noted that they are advertising to fill the position, will form an interview committee-noting that they intended for the committee to be made up of representatives of teachers, administrators and community members.

“And that's the same process that we followed three years ago and also that we followed for the elementary principal this time,” he said.

The target is to have someone on board by July 1.

Dr. Smith added that there is a good administrative team at the high school that's here and putting pieces in place.

“…So I feel better in the transition than we did…previously,” he said.

In other personnel news, the school board formally approved the appointment of elementary school principal Amy McCurdy.