Superintendent Dr. Heidi Maier has selected a new area director and a principal for a local school according to a press release from the Marion County School Board.
Ryan Bennett, who became principal at Madison Street Academy in 2017 and previously served in the same capacity at Shady Hill and Anthony Elementary Schools, has been selected as the new Area 2 Director. Bennett joined the district in 1998 as a special needs teacher at Romeo Elementary, earning a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Pfeiffer University and a master’s in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
The new principal at Madison Street Academy replacing Bennett is John Kerley. Kerley started with the district as a social studies teacher in 1997 at Forest High School and moved to Evergreen Elementary, only to return to Forest two years later. He served as principal at North Marion Middle and Vanguard High Schools before moving to the district-level Area 2 Director position in 2018. Kerley holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Florida Southern College and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from NOVA Southeastern University.
The school board has indicated that more changes may be announced following the release of school grades by the Florida Department of Education this week.