Parent Teacher Magazine - Gaston County Schools

GCS Superintendent L. Reeves McGlohon Announces Retirement
Gaston County Schools
Superintendent L. Reeves
McGlohon announced his
retirement at the Board of
Education meeting Monday
evening, effective December
31, 2013. McGlohon took the
reins as superintendent on
April 1, 2006 and has served
for the past seven and a half
years.
A 43-year veteran
educator, McGlohon has
been with Gaston County
Schools since 1991. He
began his career as a
teacher in Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools and
later served 15 years as
deputy superintendent for
the State Department of
Public Instruction (1976-
1991) before joining GCS as
assistant superintendent of
human resources in 1991.
He was named GCS deputy
superintendent of administration in 1996 and
superintendent of schools in 2006.
Board of Education Chairman Kenny
Lutz, Jr. said, “Reeves McGlohon has been
an outstanding superintendent who has
carefully guided Gaston County Schools and
moved us to higher levels of achievement and
expectations. Due to his excellent leadership,
student attendance is up. Scholarships earned
are up. The graduation rate is up, and the
dropout rate has decreased. The district
was one of the first in the state to achieved
system-wide accreditation from the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools.”
Lutz continues, “I am so grateful for the
opportunity to work with him. Mr. McGlohon
is one of the top superintendents in the
country and our schools have reaped the
benefits of his strong leadership. Under his
careful guidance, this system has made
progress by leaps and bounds. He is a
trailblazer in so many areas of education. He
has worked diligently to ensure our schools
have the technology needed to properly
prepare students for a successful future,
and he sought to ensure we have the most
highly qualified and best teachers in our
classrooms.”
When McGlohon became superintendent,
GCS was 113 out of 115 school systems in
the state in average daily attendance. He
designed a plan to improve attendance and
called on students, teachers, parents and the
community to help. The results have been
8 • September/October 2013 • Parent Teacher Magazine
truly overwhelming. His plan to implement
a rigorous curriculum led to higher academic
progress. By using data-based decisions
to guide instruction, the district has made
strides toward closing the achievement gap.
The class of 2013 earned $49 million
in scholarships, the highest in history. In
comparison, just six years ago, the amount of
scholarships earned (by a larger graduating
senior class) was only $14 million. McGlohon
made it a priority to do everything possible
to assist students and parents in acquiring
funding for college.
McGlohon sought to recruit and retain the
most highly qualified and diverse teachers.
He developed an exemplary, nationallyrecognized
Teacher Induction Program for
Success to assist new teachers in their first
year. Other school systems have modeled
programs after Gaston County’s. McGlohon
worked hand-in-hand with Gaston College
to establish the Gaston Early College High
School, which gives students a unique
opportunity to graduate with a high school
diploma and a two-year college degree.
He led the way to implement strong
Professional Learning Communities in schools
where best teaching practices are shared and
teachers are given opportunities to grow and
learn. The popular Teaching and Learning
Conference conducted each summer is a part
of the program.
McGlohon’s contributions to education in
this community and at the state and national
levels are immeasurable.
His colleagues chose him
as 2011 Southwest Region
Superintendent of the Year
– the most coveted award
given to a superintendent.
He was named the 2008
State Administrator of the
Year by the N.C. American
Counseling Association, and
in 2007, he was honored
by the North Carolina
Association of School
Administrators with the
Trailblazer Award for his
innovative work to enhance
classroom technology. He
received the prestigious
Rotary International service
honor in 1998.
His leadership in school
safety resulted in Gaston
County Schools having one of
the top safe schools programs
in the state. Through
McGlohon’s collaboration
with local law enforcement agencies, GCS
developed a model safe schools program. The
district has a lower school crime rate than any
school system in the region, and among the
10 largest districts in the state, GCS has the
fewest incidents of crime.
Although the district is underfunded
when looking at other systems’ per pupil
expenditures, Reeves McGlohon turned this
obstacle into an opportunity. He worked
closely with local government, and through
state and national grants and business
contributions, he was able to implement
many new innovative programs and provide
the technology needed to advance classroom
teaching and learning.
McGlohon put classroom technology in
the forefront, and the district is reaping the
benefits. He launched a community campaign
to raise four-million dollars to put SMART
Board technology in every classroom. In just
one year, through his tenacious leadership,
the district raised the funds.
Ashbrook High School Principal Joey Clinton
said, “Reeves McGlohon is an extraordinary
superintendent. His visionary leadership and
hard work moved GCS forward despite the
challenges created by the economy and state
budget cuts. His steadfast commitment to
school safety, improving academic performance
and putting state-of-the-art technology in all
classrooms are just a few of the ways he has
made a lasting impression on our schools and
this community.”