THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 26, 1996 TAG: 9601260502
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
James L. Pughsley, interim superintendent of schools since July, has notified district leaders that he is leaving the system, although he has not officially offered his resignation.
His last day in the office will be Feb. 9.
``I leave not knowing job-wise where I'll be six days or six months from now,'' he said Thursday. ``It can be a little scary, but it also can be motivating.''
He said he will move to Charlotte, where his wife is a school principal.
``It will be hard to leave because of the friendships, relationships I've made over the last two and a half years,'' he said. ``To be completely honest, that was the most difficult part of the decision.''
Pughsley, 56, was one of three finalists for the Beach superintendent's job but withdrew his name late in the process, reportedly after the job was offered to him. The new superintendent, Timothy R. Jenney, is to start Feb. 20.
It had been widely speculated since the superintendent search ended in December that Pughsley would leave the district.
Pughsley said he had decided early in the process that he would not resume his deputy superintendent's duties if he did not take on the top post. He said the new superintendent should be able to choose his senior staff.
Pughsley, an Arizona native, served as superintendent of the Monroe, La., city schools and in a series of administrative and teaching posts in Clark County, Nev., before moving to the Beach in 1993. ILLUSTRATION: James L. Pughsley is moving to Charlotte, where his wife is a
school principal.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOLS by CNB