CHATHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS

CCS in search of new superintendent as Derrick Jordan joins N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction

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Chatham County Schools Superintendent Dr. Derrick Jordan will leave his current role in early 2021, he wrote in an email to CCS families last week, to join the staff of N.C. Superintendent-elect Catherine Truitt at the state’s Department of Public Instruction.

Truitt announced the first wave of her new hires Dec. 2; Jordan was named as one of four deputy directors of DPI and will work as the Assistant Superintendent of Agency Schools. CCS Public Relations Coordinator John McCann told the News + Record that the CCS Board of Education is in the process of identifying an interim superintendent.

Serving as superintendent of CCS has been one of the highest honors of my career,” Jordan wrote in the email announcing his departure. “During my tenure, I have been so appreciative of our school community’s willingness to support efforts to improve outcomes for all students. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I know that you will continue to partner with my CCS colleagues to reach higher heights.”

Jordan has served as superintendent for Chatham County Schools since 2013, and was recognized for his work and named Regional Superintendent of the Year for the Piedmont-Triad Region in 2018. He’s worked in education for more than 20 years, from inside the classroom, as a principal and administrator.

“I have sought to surround myself with the best of the best,” Truitt said in the press release announcing Jordan and others as new hires, “because our students, our teachers, and school personnel in this state deserve nothing but that. Each of these individuals are tremendously talented in their respective fields and will be pivotal to advancing outcomes and opportunities for students here in North Carolina.”

The Chatham County Board of Education held a special meeting Monday night, announced last Friday as a meeting “to consider personnel only.” The notice of that meeting made no mention of Jordan’s new role and as of Monday evening, the district had not made any public statements about the search for a interim superintendent.

Jordan did not specify the nature of his new role in the email sent to parents and guardians last week.

“Our schools are greater than any one person, including me, and I have no doubt that great things are in store for the district. Please be assured that you are in excellent hands with employees and school board members who care about our students and our community,” he wrote in that email, adding that he would be “working hard until (his) last day of employment” to ensure a smooth transition. “Once the Chatham County Board of Education names an interim superintendent, you will be notified accordingly. In the meantime, I want to extend sincere gratitude for all you have done to make us a better, stronger district.”

Reporter Hannah McClellan can be reached at hannah@chathamnr.com.