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Columbia businesswomen Diane Sumpter , a SC state school board member, chats with Percy A. Mack during last week's community drop-in for candidates to be Richland One's next Superintendent at the Columbia Convention Center. Mack was named to the post Friday May, 16.
Richland 1 school trustees picked an experienced educator Friday when they named Percy Mack of Dayton, Ohio, as the district’s next superintendent.
Currently superintendent of a school system with 16,000 students, Mack starts his new job July 1.
“It’s exciting for me. I’m flattered they have the confidence to pick me to lead that district,” Mack, 57, said when reached by phone Friday morning.
Details of Mack’s contract must still be hammered out, but Richland 1’s board advertised that it is willing to pay between $195,000 and $230,000 a year. Allen Coles, who steps down as superintendent next month, receives $175,000. Mack’s current salary is $141,398.
Richland 1 trustee Dwayne Smiling voted for Mack because he has “the right temperament to lead us where we want to go. He’s the right leader at the right time.”
Mack comes to Columbia after six years at the helm of Dayton schools, where he has a reputation of rebuilding public confidence in a district civic leaders said was once among Ohio’s most troubled school systems.
When he was promoted from deputy superintendent to the top job in July 2002, Dayton’s 32 schools were in “academic emergency.” The graduation rate was 53 percent, and truancy was a problem. And some 50 charter schools were siphoning off enrollment.
Attendance now tops 91 percent, 80 percent of high school seniors are earning diplomas on time, and the district’s annual rating is no longer in the basement. Enrollment, as well, has stabilized.
“He restructured, and it brought about change. We saw growth in academic achievement,” said Yvonne Isaacs, chairwoman of the Dayton school board. “We’re a significantly better district than we were in 2002.”
A majority of Dayton’s students are African-American and eligible for government aid to buy school meals. While Richland 1 educates roughly 23,000 students in its 50 schools, the district’s socioeconomic and academic profiles are similar to Dayton’s.
A recent audit the Dayton school board commissioned found nearly every constituent group questioned gave Mack high marks as a leader, Isaac noted.
“Columbia made a very wise decision,” she said.
Even the head of Dayton’s teachers’ union — which saw 200 educators laid off a year ago to balance a budget that needed to cut $30 million in spending — said Mack has earned her respect.
“He is a PR man, and he’s good at it. It’s a talent I admire. He was able to bring things back together (when the district had the low rating),” Pat Lynch said. “He was particularly good at rebuilding relationships with business in the community.”
Richland 1 trustees were unanimous in picking Mack over Gerald Dawkins of Saginaw, Mich., and Craig Witherspoon of Edgecombe County, N.C. Dawkins, 59, has seven years’ experience as a superintendent, while Witherspoon, 42, has two.
All three visited Columbia May 6 for a whirlwind day of interviews, school tours and a joint appearance at a social gathering that attracted nearly 200 Richland 1 parents and taxpayers.
Falicia Harvey, a Richland 1 parent, liked what she heard after chatting with Mack briefly at that drop-in.
“He indicated he developed parent groups and forums that worked together with the school district in Ohio,” Harvey said. “I would love to see something like that in Richland 1 that was open to all parents in the district on a regular basis. Parents need to feel more empowered and more a part of the process.”
Nancy Little, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Crayton Middle School, also met Mack .
“He seemed to be a warm, personable man,” she said. “I’m looking for stability in the district. I’m hopeful this will be it.”
Mack said he has “the ability to evaluate a situation and come up with a plan to move the district forward if there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.”
“I’m confident I can work with the board there to build on the strengths that already exist as well as on areas that need additional support,” Mack said.
Richland 1 board chairwoman Wendy C. Brawley said her instincts told her Mack “feels comfortable working with his board.”
“He knows the importance of camaraderie and collaboration between the superintendent and the board,” she said. “We felt ... Dr. Mack had all of those things.”
Reach Robinson at (803) 771-8482.
