WRAL reports that Wake County Public Schools voted to appoint longtime educator Robert Taylor as its new superintendent.
The appointment was approved with an 8-1 vote during a meeting on Tuesday.
“I have the utmost confidence that he will do an outstanding job,” says Board Member Sam Hershey. “This is a fantastic human being, this is an outstanding educator and leader and we are so darn lucky.”
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Taylor served as deputy state superintendent of public instruction in 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, he served 10 years as superintendent of Bladen County Schools and was an administrator in Clinton City Schools and Cumberland County Schools before that.
In 2022, Taylor was hired as the State Superintendent of Education for Mississippi, his home state. However, lawmakers voted to not confirm him to the position in March. As Mississippi Today reported, lawmakers were concerned with comments that Taylor, who is Black, made about racism in the state in 2020.
Taylor will be tasked with overseeing a district with significant hiring/retaining issues with staff. He will also spearhead efforts to help combat pandemic-related “learning loss.”
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Board Chairwoman Lindsay Mahaffey says that Taylor stood out for his knowledge in state education and his vision of where Wake County Schools need to grow.
“It really did come down to answering board questions and how we felt” he fit within the profile the community gave during feedback earlier this spring, she said.
After drafting a 100-day plan for the district, Taylor is set to start on October 1.
