‘A time for change’: Another York County school superintendent is retiring
York School District Superintendent Kelly Coxe will retire at the end of the school year. The move leaves three of York County’s four public school districts in need of a new superintendent.
Coxe sent a letter Wednesday informing the district of her decision. She called the move difficult, but one that’s in both her and the school district’s best interests.
“As with every season, there comes a time for change,” Coxe wrote. “I feel that now is the right moment to step aside and embrace the next chapter of my life.”
Late last month, Rock Hill School District Superintendent Tommy Schmolze announced his plan to retire. Days later, Fort Mill School District Superintendent Chuck Epps announced his retirement this summer.
The school board in York will call a special meeting for Feb. 24 to discuss hiring a firm to help look for a new superintendent.
Coxe took over the top York job in 2019. Her time included the shift to virtual learning during the COVID pandemic, improved state rankings for school performance and new projects like a planned agritourism arena.
Coxe believes her assignment in 2019 was to develop a vision for the district, she wrote.
“I believe we have successfully met that charge,” she wrote. “Over the past six years, our district has evolved into a true learning organization.”
Coxe takes pride in the district’s resilience during the pandemic and in the community’s support last fall when a $90 million bond referendum passed. Bond money will pay for a new middle school and the conversion of an existing building to an early childhood education center.
Schools have improved in recent years even as the city of York has begun to feel some of the growth pressures districts like Fort Mill and Clover have seen for decades.
York’s population increased by 7.7% between 2020 and 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In its most recent state report cards, the York district didn’t have any school listed as unsatisfactory or below average. Every school received an excellent, good or average rating, led by Hunter Street and Jefferson elementary schools at excellent.
