David Luke has been named interim superintendent of the Louisville Municipal School District to replace Dr. Randy Grierson who resigned from the position. Luke stated that on the night of Grierson’s resignation, the School Board of Trustees interviewed the assistant superintendents and offered him the interim position with a one-year contract. Luke is no stranger to the Louisville School District having served five years at Nanih Waiya Attendance Center and two years at Louisville Elementary School before moving to the Central Office as Transportation Director, and was promoted to the position of Assistant Superintendent last year. He takes the helm of a district of around twenty-seven hundred students at six different campuses, a district that went from a C-rating to a B-rating during Grierson’s tenure, and achieved state championships in athletics at different campuses during those two years. Luke added that the COVID-19 pandemic brings unique and difficult challenges dealing with every facet of education, from the classroom, to transportation, to the athletic field. But the goal remains to provide the best education possible to the youth of this county, in a safe and secure environment. The plan is for traditional classes to begin on August 6, but plans are being developed for students to attend ‘virtual classes’ for those parents who do not feel secure about sending their children to school. Luke added that due to the pandemic, which forced students to miss the final nine weeks of the school year, and prevented any assessments through standardized testing, there is data that is not available. It will be necessary to try to bridge that gap to determine where students are and their needs. Winston County is different from many counties in that there is one school district for the entire county. Luke said that he sees this as a plus in that the county is on the same page and working toward the same goals, whether it is dealing with a pandemic or education in general. He stated, “We’re all pointed in the same direction trying to achieve the same goal, so I look at it as a benefit. We’re all one large team working together at the six campuses.” In preparing for school reopening, Luke stated there was a meeting on Tuesday night, June 30, with a wide variety of people from the community in attendance. During that meeting Luke presented an outline of plans for the traditional and virtual reopenings. Luke reminds everyone that Winston County is not alone in dealing with the pandemic, as it is happening nationwide, but be sure that the Louisville Municipal School District is taking the necessary precautions and measures to provide students with a safe and secure educational environment.
