Filling from within the ranks

At a meeting last night, the trustees of Anderson District Four, which includes Pendleton and Townville schools, agreed to extend an offer to Dr. Joanne Avery to be the next district superintendent. Avery will work until July 1 as superintendet-elect with Dr. Lee D’Andrea, who is retiring as superintendent. D’Andrea announced her retirement plans December 1. By turning to Avery, the board of trustees is placing confidence in someone who has worked in administrative capacities within the district since 2003—including human resources and curriculum and instruction. One reason the district decided to hire from within, according to board chairman Tom Dobbins, is that, in his words, “there is a great shortage of capable school administrators, including school superintendents, both in South Carolina and across the nation.”