ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Alamance-Burlington School System has named a new superintendent during Monday's district meeting.
Dr. Aaron Fleming will serve as the next superintendent starting September 18. Fleming is currently the superintendent of Harnett County Schools.
The announcement comes one month before the start of school and on the heels of controversy surrounding the district's finances.
Dr. Fleming has a doctorate in educational leadership. He said he wants to take a 'boots to the ground' approach, walking through schools often and answering questions that may be hard to answer.
He said it's all in an effort to earn back the trust of the community, but it isn't the only task he faces. ABSS enters the school year with more than a $2 million dollar deficit.
Dr. Fleming said to fix the financial situation here, tough decisions will be made.
"We're gonna have to find a way either in looking at our expenses or looking at personnel. Do we need to rearrange positions? Do we need to potentially cut positions? That's not my goal, I'm hoping we don't have to but I do believe there will have to be some hard decisions made over the next 12 months," said Fleming.
WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman posted online asking folks what they want to see from the new superintendent — at the top of the list, financial responsibility, willingness to work with commissioners and someone who prioritizes the students.
Board of Education Chair for ABSS Sandy Ellington-Graves expresses confidence in Fleming that he can do all three.
"I think the one thing that we all agree on, regardless of our leadership role is our children and public education and it matters and I think with Dr. Fleming's leadership, I'm hoping that the county commissioners are gonna come with us and see a lot of collaboration moving forward," said Ellington-Graves.
On the flip side – some parents have reservations trusting the school district.
"If you think about some of the news stories that have come out about administrators and being charged with not reporting crimes or not doing their job as mandated reporters... I don't trust putting my child somewhere things may happen and no one reports it," Jamie Baird said.
Dr. Fleming says this position is unique in the fact that he will have to look back and address the past, before moving forward. A past he didn't have a hand in making but one he will be held accountable for.
For the last four months, veteran educator Dr. Bill Harrison has been serving as the interim superintendent. In March, he was named as the replacement for former superintendent Dain Butler.
Butler resigned earlier this year after two years on the job. When he came to the district, he promoted a tough policy on misbehavior in schools. Things seemed to be going smoothly up until the start of school last year.
The district had to delay the first day of school due to widespread mold issues. The problems led to the district overspending to make repairs creating a financial struggle for leaders.
To remedy the issue, the district was forced to cut several positions and school programs.
ABSS said it expects to enter the 2024 school year with a $2.4 million deficit.
ABSS is set to talk about its facility improvements on Tuesday. The district will explain the different projects, like HVAC systems, window and door replacements, and roof progress.
Leaders have said many of the projects are in their final stages so that students can be ready to return in August.