Goodin tapped for SCS helm

With roots in the Sandhills Region of North Carolina, Dr. David Goodin is looking forward to returning home to lead Sampson County Schools as the next superintendent.

An announcement was made Thursday during a special meeting for the Sampson County Schools Board of Education. For about 10 years, Goodin has been the superintendent of the Spring-Ford Area School District in Pennsylvania — one of many chapters during his career in education spanning more than two decades.

“I look forward to serving the community of Sampson County through these unprecedented times,” Goodin said in a statement. “Having grown up in Cumberland County, North Carolina, being a part of the Sampson County School District is like coming home after being away for 40 years. It is my honor and privilege to serve as your next superintendent. Together we will strive to bring to Sampson County children the best educational experience possible. Together we can and together we will.”

Goodin is filling a void left by Dr. Eric Bracy, who became the superintendent of Johnston County Schools in the summer. During a search with the assistance of the North Carolina School Board Association, Goodin was selected from a diverse field of 25 candidates. Officials felt that his experience, leadership, and dedication to students and staff would best serve district students, employees and community members for years to come.

While welcoming Goodin, SCS Board Chair Sonya Powell said the journey to this moment felt long and arduous, even though it was just six months.

“Over the past few years, we have developed a tradition of success for our students and we now pass the maintenance of that tradition of success on to Dr. Goodin,” Powell said. “We do look forward to years of mutual love, care, and respect for our community, our employees and our students. The challenge is great, especially during this time of unprecedented events. However, the challenge has been accepted by Dr. Goodin and we will work with him to achieve the greatness that we know Sampson County Schools are capable of.”

Before becoming the superintendent of Spring-Ford Area Schools, one of the largest districts in the Philadelphia suburbs, Goodin served as the leader of the Connellsville Are School District in Connellsville, Pa., and the Harmony Area School District in Westover, Pa. He also spent time in assistant principal and principal positions at the middle school level.

Goodin is scheduled to start Feb. 22, 2021 and continue through June 30, 2023, with a resolution and contract salary of $140,000 per year. It was approved Thursday by the board with a 6-1 vote following a closed session. While Goodin prepares for the transition from the Philadelphia area to Sampson, Interim Superintendent Stewart Hobbs will continue to assist the board and provide leadership in the meantime after being called to fill the position temporarily.

“This is a very exciting day and I want to congratulate Dr. Goodin for accepting this position and I want to thank the board of education for doing a thorough search in finding what I expect to be a great fit,” Hobbs said. “I tell aspiring superintendents all the time and board members, most of the time in my experience, it’s about the fit.

“Dr. Goodin, you have a great staff to work with, great principals and this is a great school system,” Hobbs said. “As I told you earlier, you’re coming into a great situation. It’s just a matter of jumping in and tweaking it to meet your needs and listening to the faculty, the staff, the parents, and the students to continuing to move Sampson County Schools forward.”

In addition to serving local schools, he’s ready to becoming a member of the Sampson community. Goodin earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in history from Shippensburg University. He later received a doctorate degree in education administration and leadership from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Goodin is married to his wife, Michele, and they have six children together.

While talking about the process of applying for the position, Goodin said he was looking forward to moving back to North Carolina. When he moved to Pennsylvania in 1987, he never thought he would be there for more than 30 years.

“Some of my current board members asked me why I’m just not going to retire, because I can,” Goodin said. “I told them, well, I got a few more good years in me and I do want to go home.

“I just want to thank this board and Sampson County for welcoming me and I look forward to moving back in the area,” he said.

Goodin said his one goal for the district is to be the best educational provider for students in the area.

“That’s it,” he said. “It’s not complicated. We’re going to be the best that we possibly can be. Sometimes that means that things have to change. We move around some things and we adjust. But the goal is never going to change — it’s going to be best educational system for our children.”

He added that he also has a deep concern for employees and emphasized he wants to make sure everyone works together as a team and makes the best decisions for the district.

“There’s some things that I’m going to have to learn,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a steep learning curve for me, but I believe I’m up for the challenge.”