In the their regular scheduled general meeting, The Beaufort County Board of Education accepted the resignation of Interim Superintendent William Rivenbark. The Superintendent’s listed, as his chief motivation to his premature departure, his wife’s recent hospitalization since being incapacitated by symptoms appearing to be that of a stroke. She is currently listed as a patient at Duke University.

    Superintendent Rivenbark wrote in e-mail to the School Board on November 23, 2009: “I regret that I must resign as Interim Superintendent effective November 30, 2009. this action is due to my wife’s recent brain injury. I must devote my time and energy toward her rehabilitation and complete recovery,”

    The Superintendent continued, “Beaufort County Schools is a good school system and has the potential to be a great school system with the right leadership system in place and with a relationship with the county commissioners of mutual respect, trust and transparency. I hope that I have helped to plant the seeds for this potential to become a reality.”

    The current assistant superintendent, John Conway, has been elevated to the position of interim superintendent, and will continue serving in that capacity until the Board of Education hires a new superintendent, hopefully, in January, 2010.

    It is my opinion that Superintendent Rivenbark made the best of a bad situation while serving as the school system’s top manager after the resignation of Jeffery Moss. He possessed an attitude that was humble and fair, and left a good impression on all the county commissioners. It was my impression that he would use the truth, as a first and last resort, in dealing with the county government, and that will always be the prime prerequisite in normalizing the strained relationship between the two governing bodies.