Muscogee County principal with decades of experience could fill pending region chief vacancy
A Muscogee County School District principal is on track for a promotion into the system’s central office administration.
Hardaway High School principal Matt Bell will be one of the district’s three region chiefs if the Muscogee County School Board approves the recommendation from superintendent David Lewis.
Instead of one assistant superintendent, MCSD has three region chiefs, each overseeing one-third of the district’s 56 schools and reporting directly to Lewis.
That item is on the board’s agenda for its April 13 work session at 5 p.m. and is scheduled to be up for a vote during the April 20 meeting at 6 p.m. Because of social distancing required by the coronavirus pandemic, both sessions will be conducted via Zoom videconferencing and streamed live on MCSD’s YouTube channel.
Bell would fill the pending vacancy left by region chief James Wilson. The Ledger-Enquirer reported in February that Wilson is scheduled to retire at the end of this school year to become the dean of students for grades 8-12 at St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School, a new position at the Columbus private school.
According to the agenda, Bell has been an educator for 26 years, all in MCSD. He was a career connections and drama teacher and head boys basketball coach at Eddy Middle School from 1994-96; a citizenship teacher, head boys basketball coach and assistant football coach at Hardaway from 1996-99; an assistant principal at Hardaway from 1999-2005 and principal at Hardaway since then.
Bell earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration in 1992 and a master’s degree in educational administration in 1996 from Columbus State University, where he played basketball for the Cougars. He earned a specialist’s degree in leadership from Troy State University in 2003.
In an emailed interview, Bell told the Ledger-Enquirer, “It is certainly an honor to be recommended for this position. If approved, I would have big shoes to fill. Mr. James Wilson has set a high standard for the position. I’m excited for the opportunity for growth.”
Lewis explained in an email to the L-E why he chose Bell.
“He is a reflective and proven leader who has garnered the respect of teachers, students, parents and colleagues alike,” Lewis said. “Under his leadership as principal for the last 15 years, Hardaway has consistently improved in performance metrics to include increased graduation rates that surpass state and national averages and the College and Career Readiness Performance Index leading to the school being recognized as a ‘Beating the Odds School’ for five of the last six years.
“In addition, Hardaway was designated as one of the nation’s ‘Most Challenging High Schools’ (top 9%) by the Washington Post in 2014 and one of ‘America’s Best High Schools’ by US News and World Report in 2015 and 2019.”
Asked what he is most proud of during his tenure at Hardaway, Bell said, “I am most proud of the positive relationships that I have been able to build with our community partners, alumni, teachers, parents and students, past and present.”
Bell credits Hardaway’s previous principals for helping him: Keith Seifert, Roger Hatcher and the late Dewey Renfroe.
“Hardaway will always hold a special place in my heart,” he said. “My own children were raised here on College Drive. Over the last 24 years, I have been fortunate enough to work with a great staff and for exceptional leaders. If it wasn’t for their dedication and modeling, this opportunity would not have presented itself. It will be tough to say goodbye to so many great people.”
As a region chief, Bell said, “I hope to support all school leaders in their efforts to inspire and equip students to achieve unlimited potential.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 10:28 AM.
