HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 23, 2020) – Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Dr. Jan King has announced her intention to retire on ÂÂÂÂÂMarch 1 after dedicating nearly three decades to Henderson County Public Schools (HCPS).
King is making her retirement announcement early to give the Henderson County Board of Public Education and incoming superintendent Dr. John Bryant ample time to prepare for her departure, and to assist her successor in a smooth transition.
“I love this school system, and it has been my honor to serve the students, teachers, staff and parents who work so diligently to make HCPS a success,” said King. “Witnessing the successes of former students in their careers and with their families over the years serves as a constant reminder that education is a noble and worthy career. I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to serve in Henderson County Public Schools with colleagues who are like family.”
Come March, King will have spent 28 years serving the students and staff of HCPS, with a wide range of classroom experience and educational leadership – both at the local and state level.
King began her education career with HCPS in 1992 as a classroom teacher at Dana Elementary, Apple Valley Middle, and West Henderson High schools, and won the district’s Teacher of the Year award in 2003. She then became a specialist for the Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) programs at West Henderson High, Hendersonville Middle, Bruce Drysdale Elementary and Edneyville Elementary schools, before serving as an Instructional Coach for all HCPS high schools.
In 2006, King was named Assistant Principal at Hendersonville High, and then Principal at Glenn C. Marlow Elementary in 2007. While leading Glenn C. Marlow, King won the district’s Principal of the Year award twice, ultimately advancing in the statewide competition and representing HCPS as the North Carolina Principal of the Year during school year 2010-11.
In 2011, King moved to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction where she served as Professional Development Lead for Region 8, and then Regional Lead for Regions 7 and 8 – where she served 37 school districts for three years. King returned to HCPS in 2015 as Director of School Learning and Leadership Development and was promoted to Chief Professional Development Officer, where she was responsible for coordinating support for Beginning Teachers, Beginning Principals, the Aspiring Administrators program, and ongoing professional development for teachers and administrators district-wide.
“Dr. King is the rarest of leaders. She is passionate, brilliant, exceptionally humble, kind, innovative, and unwavering in her commitment to children,” said Superintendent Bo Caldwell. “Dr. Jan King is quite simply the blueprint by which all educators should be made. In her career of service and servanthood, she has made public education better for children across North Carolina. She has made each school community in Henderson County better. She has made us all better. What a gift to call her a dear friend and colleague.”
King has spent her time as Assistant Superintendent supporting educators and the students they serve in Henderson County through her leadership on the N.C. Association of Supervisors of Curriculum & Instruction (ACSD) Board, and N.C. Department of Public Instruction Chief Academic Officers Advisory Committee. King also currently serves as Co-Chair of Henderson County NCPreK, and as a member of the advisory council to the Western Carolina University College of Education and Allied Professions. During her tenure with HCPS, King has also served on the North Carolina Virtual Public School board (2015-19), and Hands On! A Children’s Gallery board (2015-19). King is a mentor and leader in her local community through Women United, an initiative of the United Way of Henderson County, and at Mills River United Methodist Church.
The superintendent and Leadership Team have begun the process of finding the next Assistant Superintendent, to begin serving HCPS on Jan. 1, 2021.
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