CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — The Jefferson County Board of Education held a special meeting Tuesday, with only one item on its agenda, a vote that named William “Chuck” Bishop, Ed.D., the new Superintendent of Schools.
In pre-recorded remarks to the board Tuesday evening, Dr. Bishop thanked them for the opportunity to wrap things up at his current assignment and tell his current staff about the transition personally before making the announcement public. “I’m already learning about the amazing things all who have come before me have established in Jefferson County Schools,” Bishop said. “I cannot wait to build on that as we move forward together.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity and excited to join you all soon,” the new superintendent said. Dr. Bishop replaces Dr. Bondy Shay Gibson-Learn who was appointed as superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in 2015 and announced her departure in February.
A press release from the county school system detailed Bishop’s work history:
William “Chuck” Bishop, Ed.D., joins Jefferson County Schools with more than 30 years of experience in education. Along with spending 17 years leading school districts as a superintendent, Dr. Bishop has served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, principal, and assistant superintendent. He most recently completed nine years as the superintendent of Clarke County Public Schools in Virginia. Before that, Dr. Bishop was the superintendent of Augusta County Public Schools and Radford City Public Schools.
Bishop was chosen out of a pool of 17 applicants from across the country.
Board President Kathy Skinner said, “We are excited to welcome Dr. Bishop, but with so many truly qualified candidates we had to make some very difficult decisions. We are confident Dr. Bishop will continue to move Jefferson County Schools forward and will collaborate well with the amazing team we have in place.”
A press release from the school system says Dr. Bishop earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Virginia Tech and his Master’s and Doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Bishop has served as a baseball coach previously and participated with his local Rotary, the American Cancer Society, and the United Way.
The Panhandle News Network’s Al Gaige contributed to this story.