LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Yates Elementary has a new principal.
On Friday, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk announced the hiring of Barry Richburg, which now fills all of the leadership openings in the school district.
“Fayette County Public Schools is a district where people who are committed to equity, inclusion and excellence want to be,” Caulk said. “Our nine new principals are examples of our dual human capital strategies – drawing talent from outside the district while growing leaders within our organization. People are passionate about wanting to be leaders in Fayette County Public Schools at this time, which is a reflection of the incredible work happening both in our schools and at the district level.”
Richburg brings 18 years of experience in the field of education, having worked in schools in both North Carolina and Virginia. He started his career as an elementary school teacher in the Prince William County Public School System in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. After four years, Richburg returned to Raleigh where he served as an elementary teacher before moving into the role of Assistant Principal. Since 2012, he has been the principal for two elementary and one middle school in the Wake County Public School system. Richburg holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Shaw University, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from George Mason University.
“Barry is a transformative educational leader who has a proven leadership track record of effectiveness,” said Elementary School Chief Faith Thompson, noting that Richburg has successfully turned around a low performing school; elevated a mid-performing school while closing achievement and opportunity gaps, and sustained continuous improvement and growth for one of the highest performing schools in Wake County, North Carolina.
“On behalf of students, his goal is to ensure Yates becomes one of the highest performing schools in Fayette County Public Schools by locking arms with faculty, staff, families and community,” said Thompson, who oversees Yates Elementary. “We believe Mr. Richburg will achieve his goal, whereby allowing students to achieve greater victories in the classroom.”
Richburg will officially assume his duties in September 2020. Until then, retired FCPS Principals Victoria Mundy and Betsy Rutherford will jointly serve as Interim Principals at Yates Elementary School.
