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A total of 36 people inquired about the superintendent vacancy with Prince Edward County Public Schools. Out of that number, the school board received 24 full applications. Now board members plan to narrow down the list and start making plans to interview candidates by the end of January. 

According to data given to The Herald by the school district, there were 24 full applications, as we mentioned above. Out of that number, five were current or former superintendents. Seven applicants were assistant, associate or deputy superintendents. Six were central office administrators at a Virginia school district. Two others were principals. There were also four others, including a professor from a university. Out of those who applied, all but two were from Virginia. The other two included one from Indiana and one from Wisconsin. 

“We looked at applications and discussed looking at qualifications as a board,” said Prince Edward School Board Chair Lucy Carson. During the board’s Wednesday, Jan. 15 meeting, Carson explained where they go from here. 

The Virginia School Board Association, which has been helping Prince Edward in the search, gave some suggestions for types of questions to ask, when interviews start. 

“(And they) gave some tips on how to do interviews, so that everybody is getting the same questions and things of that nature,” Carson said. “We’re not (going to) shorten anybody by not asking them this question, when we asked the other people that same question.” 

Carson said that board members have spent this month going through the 24 applications and the VSBA staff did a deeper dive on each.  

The process moves forward

Over the fall, the school board held several town hall meetings, where Prince Edward residents could weigh in on what they wanted in a new superintendent. Once the meetings were over, board members met in November and put together a list of qualifications. On Nov. 13, the school board turned all of their data over to the VSBA. On Nov. 18, the job was posted. Applications were accepted through Dec. 31. 

Over the course of February and March of 2025, the goal will be for the school board to interview the respective candidates, with a hiring decision coming soon after. Carson said the board will be contacting candidates soon. 

“We spent our holiday going through applications and going back over them to make sure to have what we needed,” Carson said. “The process is going forward. We have to notify the public when we’re doing interviews, and on the 31st of January, we will let them know when we will start interviewing. We got some outstanding candidates and we will try our best to pick the best one that will work with us here in Prince Edward.” 

Some help for Prince Edward

Prince Edward is hunting for a new superintendent due to Dr. Barbara Johnson stepping down on Monday, Sept. 30. No reason was given as to why Johnson stepped down. In the months prior, she faced increased questions about the inability of the district schools to reach full accreditation. In Prince Edward, only the elementary school was fully accredited this year with no conditions. The high school, and especially the middle school, continue to struggle. 

Currently, as mentioned above, Dr. Joseph Cox is serving in the role on an interim basis. Cox is best known as the longtime superintendent of Colonial Heights Public Schools. He took over that position in 2001 and stayed until his retirement in 2019. Before that, Cox had served in Colonial Heights Public Schools as a teacher, first at Colonial Heights Junior High for nine years and then as a government and history teacher at the district’s high school.
Since his retirement, Cox has served in an interim role as superintendent for a number of different school districts in Virginia. He took over in Nelson County in 2022 for a few months and then in 2023, he went back to Colonial Heights, taking over as an interim superintendent at his old district.