Neshoba County Superintendent, Dr. Lundy Brantley to retire

NESHOBA COUNTY, Miss. (WTOK) - One local school district will soon say farewell to its superintendent at the end of this school year. Neshoba County Superintendent Lundy Brantley has announced his retirement after 6 years with the district.

“We have one chance to educate a kid and that’s it so we better be getting it every day and improving every day,” said Brantley.

Prior to becoming superintendent of Neshoba County School District—Lundy Brantley was a superintendent at Union Public Schools. Brantley is a 1993 graduate of Neshoba Central High School and said he always knew he wanted to come back and lead the district. That dream became a reality in 2017.

“I told our board, I told some of my former board members that it really was my dream job because we’ve been able to do a lot. But it really is personal having gone to school here and we’ve got some of my classmates’ kids that are here and that have been here and are coming through here. So it’s really neat too to see all the changes that we’ve done,” said Brantley.

Brantley said the mindset across the district is improving every day. Because of that--he said many of his goals coming in as superintendent has been accomplished. Including partnering with local businesses and industries to provide students with internship and apprenticeship opportunities, this year’s senior class earning over $8 million in scholarship offers, expanding their pre-k classes, and becoming an “A” district.

“We’re actually working even harder to hold on to that than we did probably to get it. But that’s always been the big goal of being one of the best districts. We’re number 11 in the state and we’re among the best in the state now. That’s something coming in that I told our staff, I said there’s no doubt in my mind and nobody will ever be able to tell me different but we can be one of the best in Mississippi and we are now. I still go back, that’s a part of our students and our staff really buying in and our community buying into a different way of thinking,” said Brantley.

Brantley said God showed him it was time to start a new chapter in life but leaving the staff and students was his most challenging decision.

“You know over time and through hard work and everybody coming together to do great things for our kids, you develop wonderful relationships with people. The kids that’s why we’re here and we have great kids here and I’m going to miss seeing them on a daily basis, I really am. I’ll see them on Friday nights, I’ll still be at the football games but you know I won’t be able to see them every day,” said Brantley.

Brantley’s last day as superintendent will be June 30th. He said he is not fully retiring just taking a different career path as a consultant in the education field.

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