Appomattox CTE director to lead schools



Amy Huskin, left, is introduced by Halifax County School Board chair Kathy Fraley on Monday.

Halifax County Public Schools has a new division superintendent — Amy D. Huskin, current director of curriculum, instruction and CTE for Appomattox County Public Schools.

Huskin was introduced at a special meeting of the Halifax County School Board Monday night. She begins her new post on July 1 with an annual base salary of $140,000.

School Board Chair Kathy Fraley said that during the search for a new superintendent, school trustees were “looking for the right person, the right fit, and I think we found her.”

Huskin, admitting that she was nervous as she spoke to a roomful of citizens, teachers and educators at the Bethune Complex in Halifax, vowed to be a champion of children and a listener who would work hard on behalf of the school division and for Halifax County.

“I’m here for the long haul. I’m here because of all the right reasons, so please know that about me, that these children — our children — have every possible chance to succeed,” she said.

Huskin, a former teacher, assistant principal, principal and administrator with 29 years of educational experience, said “I’m a teacher in my core, I’ve always been one, I’ll always be one.

“My classroom has just expanded and changed over the years.”

Growing up in Lynchburg, Huskin graduated from E.C. Glass High School, earned her undergraduate degree in family and child development at Virginia Tech, a masters degree in curriculum and instruction at University of Virginia, and a masters in educational leadership and doctorate in leadership studies from the University of Lynchburg.

Before accepting her current post in Appomattox, Huskin was employed by Lynchburg City Schools for 25 years as a teacher, STEM teacher, assistant principal, school-business partnership coordinator and principal. She was best known in Lynchburg for her time as principal of T.C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation, a magnet school for the performing arts. Her doctoral dissertation focused on closing achievement and opportunity gaps for students at her school.

Being a teacher and principal at the elementary school she attended as a child is something Haskin said makes her “most proud.”

Huskin left Lynchburg to become director of curriculum, instruction and career and technical education (CTE) for Appomattox County Public Schools, a position she has held for four years. A statement issued by the School Board describes Huskin as “a high-energy, performance driven leader who is passionate about students and teachers.

“She brings cultivated skills in change leadership and community outreach and is fully prepared to target specific solutions to move HCPS forward,” the School Board statement continued.

Musing about her introduction in Halifax and “what new buzzwords will she be bringing to town,” Huskin told audience members Monday night that her priorities are straightforward, “with no fancy packaging needed.

“We’re going to ensure safe learning environments, we’re going to have high expectations for children, we’re going to have quality instruction and we’re going to invest in relationships because our children deserve only the best.”

As she opened her remarks, Huskin said, “I am a little nervous and I’m not afraid to admit it,” but she also expressed relief that her hiring is now out in the open. “Honestly, everyone, I feel like I’ve been in the witness protection program in the past month, just trying to keep it all quiet. Finally tonight I get to say ‘yay!’ I am just so excited.”

Huskin added she is “humbled and honored” to have been chosen for the position and “I’m looking forward to coming alongside [Halifax’s] hard-working educators as we continue to get things back to normal, and we’re looking towards brighter days ahead.”

Observing that her father grew up on a tobacco farm “right up the road from here,” Huskin recounted that when Fraley called to offer her the job as HCPS superintendent, “I heard his words in my ear — get all the education you can, little girl, because nobody, nobody can take that from you. Because this, being your superintendent, is my honor, my chance to ensure that students here in this place have every avenue, every opportunity to succeed in every way possible.”

Huskin emerged as the choice out of a field of 22 applicants and 11 others who contacted the school division about the job, which came open in December when Lineburg announced his departure to accept an administrative position with a Detroit-area school division. Trustees have been meeting since January, mostly in closed session, to discuss candidates and conduct interviews. Huskin’s hiring and contract terms became official with a unanimous vote by trustees on Monday.

The contract approved by the School Board on Monday runs for three years, from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025.

In addition to paying a base salary of $140,000, the School Board agreed to make yearly $5,000 annuity payments and provide full employee and spouse health coverage in addition to other benefits. The contract calls for Huskin to establish residency in Halifax County within 12 months, and Huskin said Monday that she and her husband, Steve, are looking to purchase a home locally.

She and her husband are parents to four adult children and grandparents to two girls.

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