“Concluding a seven-month search, we as a board, have selected David Martin, a Bogue Chitto graduate and product of Lincoln County School District, to be our next Superintendent of Education. Using stakeholder input from August meetings and after extensive vetting, we feel Mr. Martin meets all the outlined criteria. Our process was deliberate, and our decision was not made hastily, but only after extensive prayer and consideration. We, working as a united board, feel Mr. Martin is the best fit and is the best prepared professional to lead our children and our district into a successful future,” stated Justin Laird, board president and spokesperson for the board.

The Board members set strong leadership in improving academic achievement, ability to build rapport with all stakeholders, and understanding the importance of educating all students as key characteristics for the new superintendent.

Martin has spent the past 17 years in public school education. He is currently the principal of Brookhaven High School and has served in that capacity for the last eight years. He began his teaching career in Copiah County School District and has also served as an assistant principal and a coach in North Pike School District. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Mathematics from Mississippi State University and his master’s degree in Educational Administration from Jackson State University.

Martin is a graduate of the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL), a year-long development program for principals which provides training to assist principals in becoming strong instructional leaders. He is also a graduate of the Prospective Superintendent Leadership Academy (PSLA), a nine-month training program sponsored by MSBA, which provides training in areas specific to serving as a superintendent. In the community, he serves as a volunteer coach for several sports and is a Sunday School teacher and Deacon at Johnson Grove Church of Christ.

Martin said of his selection, “I am very humbled by my appointment, and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to serve the same district where both my wife and I were educated. As a lifelong Lincoln County resident, I am honored to come back and serve the next generation of students. The district has great things happening, and I am excited to start building relationships and trust and to facilitate conversations among stakeholders about what we need to do to make the district even greater.”

The Lincoln County Board worked with the Mississippi School Boards Association (MSBA) in the superintendent search process. After a five-week search time frame, there were 10 applicants from inside and outside the state. MS Code 37-9-13, which went into effect July 1, 2017, required school boards with an elected superintendent to appoint a superintendent by 2020. The Lincoln County Board made history in making the first appointment.

David Martin is set to begin his leadership of the Lincoln County School District in July 2020.