Ed Croom to retire as Johnston schools superintendent

Before an audience of about 20 county officials, school administrators and community representatives at a hastily scheduled press conference, Newsome said he told School Board members a year ago about his plan to retire.

The Johnston County School System now has more than 4000 employees, which makes it the largest employer in the county.

Newsome noted that when the school system was faced with steep budget cuts in the face of a national economic downturn, he made a commitment to the School Board that he would “stay until we came out of those tough times”. He previously served as superintendent of Newport News Public Schools and has also worked in the Prince George’s County, MD and Washington DC school systems.

Newsome said he made a decision to publicly announce his retirement in October in order to give the Chesterfield School Board time to work with the community to find the next superintendent. Along the way, our school division’s test scores, graduation rates, the number of students earning industry certifications and the number of students taking college dual enrollment courses and Advanced Placement courses significantly increased.

While he did not expressly state why he was retiring at the end of the school year, Newsome said Chesterfield Schools have changed a lot during his decade at the helm. Furthermore, citizens approved a $304 million bond referendum to support the renovation and construction of 11 school facilities. This is a bittersweet moment for me, as I am saddened to leave colleagues and friends, yet excited and optimistic about the next phase of my life.

“It has been a pleasure serving the children and employees of Johnston County for almost my entire career”.

Marcus J. Newsome, Ed.D.