Ed Croom to retire as Johnston schools superintendent

Johnston County Schools Superintendent Ed Croom announced Tuesday that he will retire next spring.

Croom, 50, was named superintendent in December 2008 when he was promoted from deputy superintendent of administrative services. He said he will retire effective March 1.

“The last six and a half years have been a challenging, but rewarding experience,” Croom said in a statement. “I appreciate the leadership the Johnston County Board of Education has provided during my tenure and know that they will continue to make decisions that benefit all children.​”

It was an emotional announcement for Croom, made to an even more emotional school board. He started his career in Johnston County as an agriculture teacher at Princeton High School in 1988 and spent all but three years of his 27-year career in the county. He also was principal of South Johnston High School from 2003 to 2008 and the school system’s workforce development director from 1995 to 1997.

“It’s a bittersweet day,” Croom said to the board, adding that being appointed superintendent had been a “tremendously gratifying, life-changing experience.”

“I fully believe we have a higher level of academics [in the county] than ever before,” Croom said.

Board chairman Larry Strickland called the announcement a historic moment for the school system.

“It’s been a great ride,” Strickland said of Croom’s tenure. “There are always some down times and good times, but we made it through the great recession and the system is better because of all that you do.”

While Croom was superintendent and Johnston County grew, school enrollment climbed to more than 34,000 students, adding the equivalent of nearly a school per year, according to Brian Vetrano, the district’s director of human services. Croom listed the opening of two high schools, the 80 percent passing of a bond vote that created River Dale Elementary School and historic graduation rates among the notable moments of the past seven years.

Of the district’s 44 schools, six received a D and one an F in the latest school report cards from the state.

“Nobody is satisfied with where our schools are, but things are a whole lot better than you’ll read about in state reports or in the news media,” Croom said.

Board member Donna White said she wished Croom’s tenure as superintendent had started earlier, bypassing his years as deputy.

“From 2004 to 2008, our system need an Ed Croom,” White said. “Now this whole system is a gentler, kinder school system.”

In his address to the board, Croom said he was leaving because of legislative changes to the state’s retirement system. In August 2016, the state’s qualified excess benefits arrangement (QEBA) will expire and employees who retire after that could lose tens of thousands of dollars in pension money. The current federal pension cap is $210,000 and in 2013 the General Assembly created the QEBA to pay the difference for some high-earning pensioners. Being over the age of 50, Croom’s 27 years of teaching makes him eligible for early retirement. According to the State Treasurer’s Office, Croom’s total compensation is $256,602.

“This has nothing to do with you,” Croom said to the board. “This was the right move for my family.”

Strickland said the school board would schedule a meeting soon to decide how to begin its search for the next superintendent.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Ed Croom to retire as Johnston schools superintendent."