Mike Hurt, a retired administrator with the Logan County school system, has been named as the acting principal at the Adairville School to fill in until a permanent replacement is found.

“I met with the Adairville site-based decision making council at their regular meeting last week and we discussed the possibilities,” said Logan County schools superintendent Marshall Kemp. “They gave me a list of names and we discussed them … and there was a consensus to have Mr. Hurt come for a while.”

Hurt takes over at the school at a critical time since the sudden death of principal Paul Sansom two weeks ago.

“It’s a difficult situation,” Hurt said. “I have been familiar with the Adairville School for many years, though, and that makes it easier for me.”

Hurt has plenty of experience as a principal in the Logan County district. He spent 22 years as the principal at Auburn before taking an administrative position at the central office, where he spent eight years before retiring a couple years ago.

“Mr. Hurt knows what he is doing and has the overall big picture of what the district is all about,” Kemp said. “Things seem to be working rather well right now.”

Despite taking over in a bad situation, Hurt said he sees things improving at the school.

“Things are getting better every day,” he said.

Kemp said he is not sure how long Hurt will be the school’s interim principal.

“If things go to everyone’s satisfaction, we should have a permanent principal for the next school year,” Kemp said.

There are nine criteria that the school’s site-based decision making council came up with for a principal, Kemp said.

They are:

• a highly organized individual
• someone that can connect school at each level
• someone that is not a micro-manager
• someone who is compassionate
• a good listener
• someone willing to decide issues in the best interest of the students, always
• someone who has no agenda other than the school’s agenda
• someone who possesses a good way with others and can build a good rapport
• someone to continue the consistency that the school has been able to maintain for a number of years

In the meantime, Hurt said he is enjoying a chance to work as a principal again.

“Even though I was principal for a lot of years, it’s kind of new getting back into it after so long,” he said. “To be honest, I am really enjoying it because of the teachers and the kids. It’s been really rewarding for me so far. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it. I’m glad to be here. It’s a fantastic school because of the kids and the teachers.”