After six years at the helm of Jackson County Public Schools, Superintendent Mike Murray will be leaving for a new position at Cherokee Central Schools this summer.
“I had very mixed emotions about leaving, because it’s hard to leave a job that you love and I’ve had a wonderful amount of support in Jackson County from all the county commissioners to the government leaders to especially the different support services,” Murray said. “All of the entities that are involved in Jackson County have gone out of their way to support the school system in the six years I’ve been here.”
However, Murray said, with the five-year plan he set out to accomplish when he started the job mostly complete, he found himself wondering if he should “just go home and fish” or look for another challenge to tackle before retirement — he’s had a 35-year education career in Western North Carolina. When Cherokee Central Superintendent Scott Penland announced his upcoming departure, Murray couldn’t help but be interested in the position.
“I prayed about it and thought I’m going to try for the Cherokee school system, because I think it’s a very good school system,” said Murray. “I’m very interested in what they’re doing with their language and their culture. It’s just fascinating to me.”
As superintendent at Jackson Schools, Murray has certainly had exposure to the Cherokee language and culture — after all, 52 percent of students at Smokey Mountain Elementary School are Native American. But he’s looking forward to learning more, understanding more and helping to improve the school system while he’s at it.
Murray’s goals for Cherokee Central include boosting the graduation rate, which now sits in the 70 percent range, and helping the system to continue raising the bar academically. He believes that the school system is overall a good one but wants to help it get even better. However, he plans to spend the first year being more of an observer than a mover and shaker.
“My whole goal this first year is to get to know everybody,” Murray said. “I’m going to build relationships with the parents and the community and with the staff at the schools, and with the kids.”
To that end, Murray is excited about the fact that Cherokee Central Schools are all located on a single campus. That works for Murray’s hands-on approach, promising him greater opportunity to see students and teachers in action without having to drive anywhere.
“I can drive to Asheville on a good day quicker than I can drive to Blue Ridge School (in Cashiers) if I get behind the wrong farm equipment, so it’s exciting to me that I’m going to be under one roof with an elementary school, middle school, high school and a central office,” Murray said.
However, he emphasized, he will miss Jackson County, though he’s confident he’s leaving it in good hands. Associate Superintendent Kim Elliott will take Murray’s place as superintendent for six months to a year while the school board decides who should fill the position. The board could decide to hire Elliott permanently, or it could bring in someone new.
“I think that’s a good opportunity for the board to let the process work, and the board can certainly interview and talk to stakeholders,” Murray said.
Since coming to Jackson Schools, Murray has been a visible face in the community, over the last several years campaigning hard to improve the school system’s crumbling facilities. Roofs were leaking, pipes were breaking, and Murray could often be seen at county meetings explaining the need to commissioners. Currently, facilities are in much better shape, and the school system is in the midst of completing $9 million worth of county-funded maintenance and repairs.
“We’ve made some major strides,” Murray said.
Murray’s last day at Jackson Schools will be June 30, and he will start his new job in Cherokee July 10.