Rock Hill School District announces three finalists for its superintendent position

The Rock Hill School District has announced its three finalists for its superintendent position. See bios below. There will be a meet and greet with the finalists Thursday night at the Rock Hill School District Office at 6:30.

Dr. Eric Bracy
Dr. Eric C. Bracy has served as a Superintendent of Schools in North Carolina for the past 17
years. Dr. Bracy’s leadership experience includes rural, suburban and urban school districts. His
collaborative approach to team building, keen focus on students, and love for teaching and
learning has resulted in notable successes during each of his assignments as Superintendent of
Schools. Dr. Bracy led Sampson County Schools for six and a half years, significantly improving
student performance, as they became the 15th highest performing school district in the state
despite financial constraints. Prior to his time in Sampson County, he served as superintendent
of Northampton County Schools for five and a half years and paved the way for improved
academic outcomes. Dr. Bracy has been the proud Superintendent of Johnston County Public
Schools since July, 1, 2020. Under his leadership, Johnston County Public Schools was the only
district in the state that saw a major decrease in the number of low-performing schools coming
out of the Pandemic in the 2021-2022 school year from 14 (2019) to 5 (2022). Additionally, 85%
of Johnston County Public School’s 48 schools met or exceeded growth in the 2021-2022
school year, compared to only 60% in 2018- 2019. The district was touted as a “top-performing
district” due to its resounding academic growth during the 2023-2024 school year, placing 35th
in the state, up from 83rd in 2019. Johnston County Public Schools had only one low-performing
school and has increased its pre-pandemic proficiency percentage by 3.5 percentage points.
89% of all schools in Johnston County have a School Performance Grade of A, B, or C.
Dr. Bracy holds a bachelor’s in elementary education from North Carolina Central University, a
master’s in education administration and supervision from Virginia State University, and a
doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Recognized for his
impact, he was named the 2024 Central Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance
Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Bracy believes in being a leader among leaders as evidenced by
his professional service to the North Carolina Association of Curriculum Development
(NCASCD) where he serves as President-Elect, and The North Carolina Large District
Consortium where he has served as Chair for the past 2 years. His most notable
accomplishment is his family. Dr. Bracy is married to a career teacher, and they have been
blessed with three children.

Dr. Deborah Elder
Dr. Deborah Elder currently serves as Deputy/Chief Operating Officer of the Iowa Department of
Education, where she provides strategic and operational leadership for the state’s education
system. As the Department’s second ranking leader, she is accountable for outcomes of Iowa
taxpayers’ $5.1 billion investment in 486,476 students in over 1,300 K-12 schools and 86,000
students in 15 Community Colleges. A proven systems designer and innovator, Dr. Elder brings
more than 30 years of experience leading K-12 education in diverse communities. As Interim
Superintendent of Los Lunas Schools, she led the district through a leadership transition,
maintaining organizational focus on learning while directly overseeing instruction, operations,
finance, facilities, and human capital. Previously, as Chief Academic Officer of Instruction,
Accountability, and Innovation, she designed and implemented a districtwide instructional
strategy that resulted in 100% of state-designated Targeted Support school improving
sufficiently to exit improvement status, all while sustaining two Spotlight schools recognized for
excellence.
As Executive Director of Innovation and School Choice in the Albuquerque Public Schools, Dr.
Elder oversaw magnet and charter schools, serving over 15,000 students. She launched the
state’s first Engineering the Future K-12 pathway, secured partnerships including the Kennedy
Center’s Any Given Child initiative and the City of Albuquerque’s Entrepreneurial Mindset
project, and expanded magnet school opportunities for 3,500 students. As a school principal,
her leadership in instructional improvement and technology integration raised the school’s state
grade from a D to an A. Her career began in the classroom teaching elementary students.
Always a teacher, Dr. Elder is passionate about cultivating future leaders. She teaches graduate
courses in School Finance, Human Resources and School Safety as Adjunct Faculty at Western
New Mexico University. A lifelong learner, she earned a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, a
Master’s in Curriculum, and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from
the University of New Mexico. She earned a Doctorate in Organizational Change and
Leadership from the University of Southern California. She and her husband, Scott, have been
married for 31 years and are the proud parents of two adult sons.

Dr. Joshua P Starr
Dr. Joshua P. Starr has served public education as an experienced leader in three sectors. He
spent ten years as a Superintendent of Schools in two very diverse and complex districts;
Montgomery County, MD, and Stamford, CT. Dr. Starr’s leadership has always focused on
equity and excellence. He has led collective efforts to ensure high quality instruction for every
child, increase innovation, expand community engagement, activate student voice, increase
teacher leadership, and support principals. Dr. Starr started his career in Brooklyn, NY, teaching
Global Studies to adolescents labeled severely emotionally disturbed, and then became a
system leader in districts in the New York metropolitan area, including New York City. As a
non-profit CEO at PDK International, Dr. Starr led the launch of the nation’s first career and
technical education program to inspire and prepare high school students to become teachers.
He and his team also supported district leadership teams as they implemented research-based
transformational equity and excellence initiatives. In the corporate sector, as the Managing
Partner of the Center for Model Schools at HMH, Dr. Starr’s team supported leaders throughout
the country in their school improvement efforts.
Dr. Starr has won numerous awards, served on many boards, and has been a keynote speaker
throughout his career. He’s a prolific author, with published columns, op-eds, and book chapters.
His book, “Equity Based Leadership,” is used by superintendents to guide their transformation
efforts. Dr. Starr holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and History from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, a Master’s in Special Education from Brooklyn College and a Doctorate in
Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of
Education. He and his wife have three children who have all attended public schools.