(December 14, 2023) -The Little Rock School District is pleased to announce veteran administrator George Maxey of Orange Park, Florida, as the new principal at Little Rock Southwest High School. Maxey is a 20-plus-year educator with successful experience as a secondary turnaround/transformational administrator. He has a proven track record of turning challenging situations into success stories and brings a wealth of experience to the Little Rock Southwest school community. We understand the importance of stability in leadership, and we believe Mr. Maxey is the right person to guide Little Rock Southwest High School through a period of positive transformation.
One of Mr. Maxey’s more notable accomplishments includes taking one of the most challenging schools in the 18th largest district in the United States (Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida), from a state grade of an F to a B in 5 years. George Maxey is known as a student and community-centered leader who inspires students and adults to achieve what many believe impossible. Part of his success formula includes building rock-solid relationships with students, parents, and community partners. As a result of his accomplishments, he was promoted to lead the historic William Marion Raines Senior High School, also in Duval County Public Schools. Raines was one of 11 schools nationwide selected by the College Board for inclusion in the EXCELerator School Improvement Model program beginning in the 2006–2007 school year. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded the project. Principal Maxey implemented several initiatives in the 2009–2010 school year to improve the school: after-school tutoring, Saturday school, gender-based courses, and strict dress code policies. The impact of those additions resulted in the school’s grade improving substantially enough for the school to be removed from the state of Florida’s intervention list in just two years.
While serving as principal of Raines High School, Maxey was involved in an incident where he tried to protect his students from law enforcement. He was not completely forthcoming with statements concerning some students. Although he recanted his statements within hours of the incident and apologized for his error in judgment, this incident ultimately led to him resigning from his position. The matter, ultimately dismissed, involved a temporary suspension and subsequent reinstatement of his educator license.
The Little Rock School District has thoroughly reviewed the matter and does not believe the situation prevents Maxey from being an effective leader. Recognizing Mr. Maxey’s conviction that his students deserve a second chance, we also think he deserves a second chance. We further believe his leadership is needed at Little Rock Southwest.
Maxey hails from Brooklyn, New York, and received his Bachelor of Science in Education from Kent State University in Ohio and his Master of Science in Education from the University of Akron in Ohio. We are excited to welcome Mr. Maxey to the LRSD school community. He will begin his new role on January 2, 2024.