The Spartanburg District 7 School Board has announced the finalists in their search for the position of superintendent of schools.
The public is invited to meet all three candidates during a reception at Spartanburg High School’s Media Center on Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30 pm.
The board has named Gerald Keith Price (Keith), Jeffrey Thomas Stevens (Jeff) and Valarie Denise Williams (Valarie) as semifinalists after an executive session following their first regular meeting of 2020.
The three finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Keith Price currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Schools for Richland School District Two in Columbia, S.C. He previously served as principal of Blythewood High School and E.L. Wright Middle School. Mr. Price has also served as an assistant principal, an assistant administrator at the high school level, and a math teacher. He has a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education (Mathematics) from Clemson University and a Master of Education and Education Specialist degree from the University of South Carolina. He is currently working towards his doctorate.
Jeff Stevens currently serves as Chief Operations Officer for Spartanburg School District Seven. He joined the district office in September 2019. Prior to this he served as principal of Spartanburg High School for eleven years. He has also served as principal at McCracken Junior High school, assistant principal at Spartanburg High School, and a physical education teacher at E.P. Todd Elementary. He holds a Master of Education in Leadership from Converse College, a Master of Arts in Exercise Science from Furman University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from Western Carolina University.
Valarie Williams currently serves as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for Scotland County Schools in North Carolina. She previously served as a principal at the middle and high school levels, as a graduate school-level professor, a business/computer instructor, middle school math teacher, and college-level business instructor. She holds an EdD in Educational Leadership – Curriculum and Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has an Educational Specialist, Master of Business Administration, and School Business Management Certification (Public School Finance) from East Carolina University. She also holds the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics/Secondary Education from St. Augustine’s College.
The board made its selection of three finalists after a thorough review of all applicants and interviews with semi-finalist applicants in October. The community reception on Tuesday, January 21, will provide community members, parents, and staff with the opportunity to meet all three candidates and hear from them briefly. There will be comment cards and an online link available for people to share feedback with the board. The deadline to submit comments is January 28 at noon.
Each finalist will spend a day in the district on January 21, 22, and 23, 2020 for meetings with staff and faculty, a tour of facilities and a final interview.
“The board is pleased to present three highly-qualified candidates for this crucial leadership position,” said Board Chair Sanders Lee. “District Seven has accomplished much over the last decade and our Board looks to the next chapter in our history with a shared commitment to build on this success with a dynamic new leader. We look forward to final interviews with the candidates later this month.”
Please visit www.spartanburg7.org for additional information.