Marty Conner won’t return as principal at South Pointe High School next year
South Pointe High School has begun its search for a new principal.
Marty Conner, the Rock Hill school’s second principal since it opened in 2005, will not return as South Pointe’s leader in 2021-22. He instead will be the “Administrator of Alternative Learning Programs” for the Rock Hill school district — a job that includes overseeing Raven Academy, Renaissance Academy, the T3 Elementary Center and the new Day Treatment Center.
Dr. Marek Marshall, who worked as South Pointe’s assistant principal in 2020-21, will act as the school’s interim principal while the district searches for Conner’s full-time replacement.
“Dr. Conner’s extensive experience and success in a similar position at Fort Mill as their Director of Alternative Programs make him uniquely qualified to step into the role,” Rock Hill Schools spokesperson Lindsay Machak told The Herald via statement. She added, “We are confident he will do amazing work in his new role this upcoming year.”
The staffing change was one of about 20 across the district this summer. Superintendent Bill Cook notified South Pointe families of the change in leadership via letter the first week of July.
“Having faithfully served as principal at South Pointe High School for the past three years, Dr. Marty Conner has been a strong leader and advocate for all students,” Cook wrote.
In the letter, Cook referenced several of Conner’s accolades as South Pointe’s leader. Among them: his reputation for being an advocate for “all types of learners” and for “building lasting relationships with parents, students and (the) community” in his 20-plus-year career in education.
The letter also states that Conner will begin his new role July 19. The selection process for a new South Pointe principal began July 1.
“As with all principal-level interviews, input is very important,” Cook wrote in the letter. “Parents, students, and school staff will be invited to participate by serving on the interview committee as well as be involved in the selection process by providing feedback on the characteristics of the candidates we are seeking. Communication outlining feedback opportunities will be shared as they become available.”
Conner earned an undergraduate degree from Norfolk State University, where he also had a decorated football career as a wide receiver. He’d go on to earn his master’s in Education Administration and Supervision from George Washington University.
After that, Conner notched several accomplishments as an educator in York County: He was the principal at Fort Mill’s Banks Trail Middle School when the school won the school Palmetto Gold award — the highest award given to a school by the S.C. Department of Education, per the district’s website. Also in his tenure as the Fort Mill School District’s alternative programs director, he increased the graduation rate of alternative school students and reduced the drop-out rate.
In 2018, Conner took the job as South Pointe’s principal, succeeding the beloved Al Leonard, who opened South Pointe in 2005.
In his first year, a petition advocating to “impeach” Conner circulated among students and parents, arguing that Conner was creating a “hostile environment” at South Pointe. The petition had more than 1,500 signatures, with a goal of 2,500.
In response, Conner sent a letter to South Pointe parents, addressing the complaints in the petition as “misperceptions and misinformation” that had “caused distractions to the quality of learning,” The Herald previously reported. He then later that week told students and parents at an open house that he had plans to improve educational opportunities and the culture at South Pointe.
“It is my goal that in three years from now this school, no question for me, will be the best school not in our district, but in the state and in our country,” Conner said at the time. “The reason being because we have good people here doing good work for the right purpose.”
Among the other faculty changes in the Rock Hill school district: Walter Wolff has been named as the Director of K-12 Virtual Academy, and Nancy Turner has been named as the Director of Mental Health for Rock Hill Schools.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 6:49 AM.
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