School officials change date of meeting so McCary can be present

By Lynn Hotaling

The Jackson County Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, rather than on Jan. 22 as previously scheduled. The change will allow both outgoing Superintendent Frank Burrell and new Superintendent Mack McCary to be present, said Martha Queen, school board chairman.

"That will be Frank's last meeting, and Mack wanted to be there," Queen said.

McCary, who will officially take charge of Jackson County Schools Feb. 1, is already at work, he said Tuesday.

His initial plans are for "a lot of conversation," he said. He plans to talk to teachers, administrators and community members about the direction of local schools.

"I want to hear what's good - what there is to celebrate," he said. "I also want to know the concerns. You don't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been."

The new superintendent said he's grateful for the meeting date change that will allow him to observe one board meeting before he takes on the school system's top administrative post.

"Mack will bring a new perspective," she said. "It will be interesting to see how the schools change under his leadership. I'm looking forward to it."

Nothing special is on the agenda for the Jan. 29 session, Burrell said.

"It's just a regular meeting," he said. "We have some teachers we need to recognize."

Other items on the agenda include an audit report and information on after school programs' schedules for snow days. Action may be taken with regard to visitors' bleachers at Smoky Mountain High.

Superintendent Burrell, who will retire Jan. 31, is expected to make a few closing remarks to board members.

Burrell, who succeeded Charles McConnell as superintendent in July 1997, received his formal education in Jackson County. He began his career with the local school system in 1968, serving as principal at Webster, co-principal at Fairview and principal at Sylva-Webster before becoming assistant superintendent in 1988. He announced his retirement last May.

Before choosing McCary as superintendent, school officials interviewed 16 candidates. McCary, who holds degrees from Harvard and Yale, was the assistant superintendent for Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Schools before coming to Jackson County. He began work here Jan. 16.

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