The Interview: MCPSS Superintendent Martha Peek

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - FROM INTERIM TO SCHOOL BOARD SUPERINTENDENT

After 11 months of searching, the Mobile County Board of Education recently named Martha Peek the new Mobile County School Board Superintendent.

Candidates applied from all across the nation, but in the end they selected one of their own.

Peek, who acted as the interim superintendent when Dr. Roy Nichols retired, never applied for the job and changed her retirement plans to accept the position.

The third generation Mobile County educator recently talked about her new job, its challenges and her career.

"I had not applied and did not have that expectation (of becoming the new superintendent.) The board and I have worked very well together while I was the interim superintendent, and they had expressed confidence in what I was doing and some had even encouraged me to apply. I said, ‘No, that's not my career aspiration,’" Peek shared

Peek said her plans for 2012 and the rest of her life were changed forever on Friday, March 30.

After nearly a year of spending thousands of dollars on two searches that provided more than 70 applicants and interviews with six finalists, the Mobile County School Board finally made a decision. With an unexpected Executive Session called and then a vote, they selected the system's interim and deputy superintendent Peek as their choice.

"They wanted somebody that was a good match; that had a vision for the system and also had the best interest of the system and the students at heart. I thought, ‘Alright. If that’s what meant to be, I'll change course and I'll do that because it is quite an honor,’” Peek said. “It’s very humbling to do. I believe there's a time for everything in life. I believe in divine guidance and what happens in your life”

A FAMILY OF EDUCATORS

A career educator with nearly 40-years of experience in Mobile County, Peek said she was planning on retiring at the end of the year. But, the board's decision moved on the Bayou La Batre native's heart, one that's deeply rooted in Mobile County education.

Peek said her family has served the Mobile County Public School System for 108 consecutive years.
“My grandmother began teaching on Dauphin Island in 1908, and so there has been somebody in my family in the system since then. It's a real commitment. It's a love. Education's my passion. Working with the students has always been my first and foremost love," Peek added.

She proudly displays her grandmother's Barton Academy diploma in her office. Alma Bryant High School is named after an aunt, her grandfather's sister.

And, like her mother, Peek is an Alba High School graduate, a teacher and elementary school principal. She's also, the more than 170-year old school system's first female leader.

"Well it is historic. Again, it’s a responsibility as the first female superintendent; I've got to make sure all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed. I love the Mobile County Public School System. I certainly knew that it was important to go ahead and get a superintendent in place because every successful organization needs a leader," Peek explained.

CHALLENGES AND GOALS

Peek said she believes her years of experience as a Mobile County teacher and principal have prepared her for the challenges of leading Alabama's largest school system.

"It's an extremely important job with a lot of responsibilities and so trying to really get in to step with everything expected at the superintendents level is a challenge. The biggest challenges, of course, are always financial challenges. Top quality educational programs and also providing the staff to deliver those programs is very expensive. We want to make sure our standards are not just at state levels but national levels; that our students can compete at a national and a global level. We want to prepare them to know that they've got to be ready to move out of our schools and either be ready to go two year or four year colleges or directly into the workforce. We want them prepared to be successful in the future. The students are the first priority," Peek said.

Peek said she is committed to communicating and building relationships with students, their families and the community.
She said it's important to make sure other opinions are heard and valued, and the good stories about what the schools are doing get out to the community.

Also, Peek said she doesn't know all the motives why the 3-new city school systems in Mobile County (Saraland, Satsuma, Chickasaw) were formed. But, now that everyone has gone through the separation her philosophy is let's communicate and be good neighbors.