York's new school chief focused on continuing improvement, aging school buildings

It's March 20. We interview newly appointed York Superintendent James Carroll. Williamsburg donates city cellphones to the homeless. Local libraries win awards.

York Superintendent James Carroll (Williamsburg Watch photo)

Newly appointed York School Superintendent James Carroll says he’s focused on making incremental improvements to one of Virginia’s top-performing school systems, while handling the challenge of aging school buildings and the lack of a general reserve fund.

“This school division is high-performing,” said Carroll, who was officially appointed March 9. “I want sustained, continuous improvement, (and to) introduce things that are going to make us better.”

Carroll said he wants to expand the division’s Career and Technical course offerings and further increase dual enrollment participation, which allows high school juniors and seniors to obtain up to a year of college credit through Virginia Peninsula Community College at little or no cost.

York Schools have ranked for years as the top performing division in Hampton Roads: all its schools are accredited, and 96% of high school students graduate within four years. Last year 85% of th…