Smoak announces retirement
By LEE TANT, T&D Staff Writer Wednesday, August 26, 2009Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Superintendent Melvin Smoak says he will retire at the end of this school year.
“I just looked at what has been accomplished, the things that have been done and I felt the timing was right to move on,” Smoak said.
Smoak, 58, has been superintendent since 2000. He spent his entire 35-year career in the district.
On Tuesday, he informed the OCSD 5 board of his plans. Smoak said the board asked him last year to give them advance notice if he planned to retire so they could find a replacement.
“By announcing my intention at this time, I believe the board is in a favorable position to seek new leadership in a timely fashion,” Smoak said.
Board Chairman Julius Page said the district will announce its plans to search for a new superintendent at a later date.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Mr. Smoak for his leadership, dedication and commitment to the students, teachers, support staff members, administrators, parents and citizens during his many years of service. Although he will be sorely missed, the board wishes Mr. Smoak much happiness as he moves into this next phase of his life,” Page said in a prepared statement.
The board was originally going to meet Tuesday night to conduct its annual evaluation of Smoak. After Smoak informed the board of his retirement, trustees met in executive session for 20 minutes.
“I am both excited and saddened by this decision. On the one hand, I am looking forward to pursuing activities that have been postponed for many, many years and spending more time with my family. Conversely, I will miss working with everyone,” Smoak wrote Page in a letter.
Smoak’s last day will be June 10, 2010. He said he is willing to stay on longer if needed.
He credited the Orangeburg community for supporting both him and the district over the years.
Smoak noted his late father had a massive stroke at the age of 56 and wasn’t able to enjoy retirement.
“I just decided that I didn’t want to work until the last minute and not enjoy the fruits of my labor,” he said.
Smoak is a 1969 graduate of John Ford High School in St. Matthews. He earned his master’s degree from South Carolina State University in 1974. He began working in the district in 1973 as a teacher.
He served the district in several capacities, including as assistant superintendent for administrative and academic affairs in the old Orangeburg School District 5 from 1996 to 1997. He was also principal of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School from 1986 to 1988 after previously serving as an assistant principal.
As principal of Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Smoak gained national recognition through a 1988 Newsweek article titled “The Story of a School That’s Getting Better.” He also appeared on “Good Morning America” that year.
Smoak is married with two children and has three grandchildren. He’s a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship Trust Fund board of directors,
n T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories at TheTandD.com.
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sad wrote on Aug 29, 2009 10:55 AM:
shlomoe wrote on Aug 28, 2009 9:48 PM:
why do yall not post a current pic of the much fatter older benefactor of the benevolent board of trustee's "
got2know wrote on Aug 28, 2009 4:36 PM:
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