The Aiken County Public School District has officially welcomed Corey Murphy as its new superintendent.
“This is not the superintendent's office,” said Murphy as he sat at at his new district office desk. “The superintendent's office is the County of Aiken. I want to spend time circulating, learning more about this community, learning more about the people I serve because that’s where the information is going to come from.”
Murphy, whose first day in the superintendent role was July 1, said that he’s seen the district “through the eyes” of his former role as the chief officer of operations, and is ready to give it another look through the lens of the superintendent's office.
“It’s going to be a lot of looking, listening and learning,” he said.
Community insights
State Rep. Bill Clyburn, D-Aiken, shared his thoughts on Corey Murphy and what he expects to see from him as superintendent.
“I think he’s going to be a great contributor to the education system in Aiken County," said Clyburn. "He’s a good communicator and he’s committed to educating from pre-kindergarten through our colleges and universities. He is showing the willingness to work with community, work with parents, and I think that’s great.”
Jim Tunison, president and CEO of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, said Murphy was a good fit.
"He just seems very knowledgeable, and I think he's going to be a great leader for the school district," Tunison said.
Murphy's vision, goals
Murphy said that he wants to talk with community members, teachers, principals, students and families in order to gain a better understanding of the district’s needs.
“I want to meet with folks as many chances as I can to get their perspective on where we are and where we need to go,” he said.
The former U.S. Army Lt. Col. called himself a “fundamentalist” when it comes to educational values, saying that he appreciates discipline, order and student safety.
“This district is in a great position,” he said. “Of course, we can do better… we’re going to be taking a very hard look at some of our processes and learn how to make life easier for principals, teachers and students in the classroom.”
Murphy said that his “next order of business” is to focus on the Penny Sales Tax. At a July 9 special-called Board of Education meeting, five projects were selected as focuses for the next round of the Penny Sales Tax.
These include renovations or additions to South Aiken High School, Midland Valley High School, Silver Bluff High School and North August Middle School, as well as the addition of a new elementary school in Area Three which is in the Graniteville area.
Murphy said that the district will now proceed by “going around telling folks as much as possible, trying to get some excitement and trying to get the vote out.”
“We just really want people to come out and understand why it is [that] we selected these projects and why it is [that] they’re critically important for not only where we are now but to sustain the growth that this county is gonna undergo over the next 10 years,” he said.
These projects will be formally approved at an Aiken County Public School District Board of Education meeting July 16. Aiken County students return to the classroom July 22.
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