Scott County School Superintendents
A total of 33 different people have served as Scott County School Superintendent through the years. The first superintendent, taking office in 1967, was J.C. Parker. The first woman to hold the office, elected in 1952, was Ora S. Robbins. The current superintendent — though the office is now called director of schools — is Marc Taylor.
The Scott County School System was organized in 1867. Prior to that, there were a number of individual school systems in Scott County (19 in 1853, for example), with each electing three commissioners, who were responsible for hiring the teachers to serve in their schools.
From 1867 to 1924, the superintendent of schools was appointed by the Scott County Quarterly Court, serving two-year terms. Beginning in 1924, voters chose the superintendent of schools. The first superintendent to be elected was Ovia Cross. The last superintendent to be elected was Jerry Willard Thompson. Beginning in 2000, a new state law required the board of education to appoint the superintendent, and the job title changed to director of schools. Mike Davis was the first director of schools appointed by the Board of Education.
The first superintendent to serve more than one term was J.Q. Cross from 1875 to 1879. The first, and only, woman to be elected superintendent was Ora S. Robbins in 1952 (Sharon Wilson was later appointed by the board of education). The longest-serving school superintendent was John Lee West, from 1933 to 1948, and Billy M. Hall, from 2011 to 2026.
At its peak, in 1912, there were 67 different schools in Scott County. Most were taught by a single teacher, who was paid $45 per month on average. Today, there are only seven schools in the school system.
The superintendent of schools’ salary has gone from $185 a year in 1867 to $500 a year in 1901 to $4,600 a year by 1950 to $41,474 a year in 1987 to $75,000 a year in 2008 to more than $100,000 a year today.
Superintendents of School
J.C. Parker, 1867-1869
Lafayette Sproule, 1869-1871
Laban Riseden, 1871-1873
Alvin Parker, 1873-1875
Jasper Q. Cross, 1875-1879
Jasper Hughett, 1879-1883
James H. Jeffers, 1883-1887
W.F. Lee, 1887-1889
J.J. Newport, 1889-1891
C.C. Cross, 1891-1893
H.K. Pemberton, 1893-1895
Dr. Horace M. Robbins, 1895-1897
George W. Cross, 1897-1901
S. Marion Foster, 1901-1909
M.L. McDonald, 1909-1917
Willard W. Walker, 1917-1919
W.J. Jeffers, 1919-1924
Ovia Cross, 1924-1926
O.E. Jeffers, 1926-1928
Ovia Cross, 1928-1931
O. Earl Byrd, 1931-1933
John Lee West, 1933-1948
A.V. Ellis, 1948-1952
Ora S. Robbins, 1952-1956
Malvin C. Sexton, 1956-1964
Raymond Jeffers, 1968-1972
Bailey B. Cross, 1972-1980
Eddie C. Culver, 1980-1988
Amon L. Lay, 1988-1995
Jerry W. Thompson, 1995-2000
James Mike Davis, 2000-2006
Sharon Wilson, 2006-2011
Billy M. Hall, 2011-2026
Marc Taylor, 2026-Present