After more than two years at the helm and several big accomplishments, Union Public School District Superintendent Lundy Brantley is saying goodbye to the district and making the short trip north to Neshoba Central.
Brantley was hired Thursday evening by the Neshoba Central School Board. He will officially take over the 3,200-student school district on July 1.
Former Neshoba Central Superintendent Joe Killens resigned on Feb. 13.
Brantley is a Neshoba Central High School graduate and coached and taught at his alma mater for five years, from 2001 to 2006, before serving as an administrator for four years. He was high school principal at Eupora for two years and principal at Pearl High School for three years before taking the superintendent position at Union in early 2015. Brantley said that while leaving Union will be hard, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to return to his hometown district.
“Of course, I was not expecting this job to come open. It’s kind of hard not to seriously consider your hometown and where you graduated from. I just prayed about it and asked the good Lord that if this was right then make it happen and He did,” Brantley said. “I dearly love Union and I love out students, our staff and the community and I will greatly miss them. They’re a fabulous group and it’s tough to leave because of the great relationships I have with the people there. But at the same time, it’s a really great time to go to Neshoba Central. It’s a great place too and I look forward to the challenge of working hard to try to make it one of the best.”
He said he and his wife, Paige, are currently house hunting in the Philadelphia area and plan to move soon. Brantley was hired in February 2015 to replace Ray Perry who retired.
Under his tutelage, the district has maintained its academic excellence, finishing eighth in the state in the 2015-16 school year in the state’s accountability rankings with Union Elementary placing first among all elementary schools in the state.
Under Brantley’s tenure, the district also established its own career and technical center, built a new agricultural building and started a new drone pilot program that will debut this fall.
UPSD School Board President David LeBlanc said the board is still in the early stages of the search for a replacement.
“As we did two and a half years ago when we found Dr. Brantley, we plan to have an extensive search and a good process because that process brought us a fine superintendent,” LeBlanc said. “We really haven’t made any decisions yet and there’s no reason for us to be in a hurry. We want to take our time and do it right, and we ask for the public’s support and prayers as we go through the process.”
Brantley said he owed much of the success during his tenure to his staff, students and parents.
“Whenever we’ve done something great, I’ve always said it’s because we’ve got great people and I’m going to miss those folks,” Brantley said. “They work hard, and of course, they’re going to continue working hard. They’re not going to stop. They’re going to keep doing what’s best for the kids and that’s what makes them great.”
Among the district’s latest academic achievements was the elementary school finishing in the top 10 in the state’s Third Grade Reading Assessment exam in the spring and sending two graduates, valedictorian Noah Winstead and salutatorian Josh Walton to Ivy League schools with Winstead attending Columbia and Walton attending Harvard this fall.
LeBlanc said that whoever is hired they will inherit all the necessary tools to maintain the district’s success.
“That’s the one thing that I’m happy about is that this is a great job,” LeBlanc said. “It’s a great school district and a great and we look forward to having some outstanding candidates as we did two years ago.”
LeBlanc said the board will discuss the search at their next meeting in July. years before taking the superintendent position at Union in early 2015. Brantley said that while leaving Union will be hard, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to return to his hometown district.
“Of course, I was not expecting this job to come open. It’s kind of hard not to seriously consider your hometown and where you graduated from. I just prayed about it and asked the good Lord that if this was right then make it happen and He did,” Brantley said. “I dearly love Union and I love out students, our staff and the community and I will greatly miss them. They’re a fabulous group and it’s tough to leave because of the great relationships I have with the people there. But at the same time, it’s a really great time to go to Neshoba Central. It’s a great place too and I look forward to the challenge of working hard to try to make it one of the best.”
He said he and his wife, Paige, are currently house hunting in the Philadelphia area and plan to move soon. Brantley was hired in February 2015 to replace Ray Perry who retired.
Under his tutelage, the district has maintained its academic excellence, finishing eighth in the state in the 2015-16 school year in the state’s accountability rankings with Union Elementary placing first among all elementary schools in the state.
Under Brantley’s tenure, the district also established its own career and technical center, built a new agricultural building and started a new drone pilot program that will debut this fall.
UPSD School Board President David LeBlanc said the board is still in the early stages of the search for a replacement.
“As we did two and a half years ago when we found Dr. Brantley, we plan to have an extensive search and a good process because that process brought us a fine superintendent,” LeBlanc said. “We really haven’t made any decisions yet and there’s no reason for us to be in a hurry. We want to take our time and do it right, and we ask for the public’s support and prayers as we go through the process.”
Brantley said he owed much of the success during his tenure to his staff, students and parents.
“Whenever we’ve done something great, I’ve always said it’s because we’ve got great people and I’m going to miss those folks,” Brantley said. “They work hard, and of course, they’re going to continue working hard. They’re not going to stop. They’re going to keep doing what’s best for the kids and that’s what makes them great.”
Among the district’s latest academic achievements was the elementary school finishing in the top 10 in the state’s Third Grade Reading Assessment exam in the spring and sending two graduates, valedictorian Noah Winstead and salutatorian Josh Walton to Ivy League schools with Winstead attending Columbia and Walton attending Harvard this fall.
LeBlanc said that whoever is hired they will inherit all the necessary tools to maintain the district’s success.
“That’s the one thing that I’m happy about is that this is a great job,” LeBlanc said. “It’s a great school district and a great and we look forward to having some outstanding candidates as we did two years ago.”
LeBlanc said the board will discuss the search at their next meeting in July.
