Wake County Board of Education chairman to become interim superintendent in Warren County

Wake County Board of Education Chairman Keith Sutton will become the interim superintendent of Warren County Public Schools beginning July 1.

The Warren County Public Schools Board of Education announced their approval of his hire Tuesday night after a vote in closed session. His interim contract runs through Dec. 31.

In an interview with WRAL News, Sutton said he planned to stay on the Wake County Board of Education throughout his appointment.

“If and when the [Warren County Public Schools] board sees fit to make that a permanent position for me, I would then transfer off of the Wake school board,” Sutton said.

Sutton said he’s looking forward to helping Warren County go through the reopening process after a year of learning disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as going through summer school plans.

To the Warren County school board, Sutton said he sees this year as an opportunity to work toward a “new normal that works for everyone.” As in Wake County, Sutton said he wants to focus on improving academic performance through equity initiatives and a focus on “excellence, customer service an continuous improvement.”

In introducing Sutton, Warren County Board Chairwoman Ebony Talley-Brame called him an education innovator and an entrepreneur. But dearest to her heart, she said, is the fact that Sutton is from eastern North Carolina.

Sutton is a Rocky Mount native and spent time in Warren County working on former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton’s Congressional campaigns.

“I look forward to coming back, if you will,” he said.

Warren County Public Schools enrolls about 1,700 students. It’s more than an hour’s drive northeast of Raleigh, on the Virginia border.