It has been said of Dusty Kornegay that he loved school so much, even as a lad, he carried a briefcase to school.

The affable and earnest Kornegay has made public his decision to retire as Thomas County Schools superintendent, and he will step down at the end of the coming school year.

While he certainly has put in his time as an educator and educational leader and deserves to enjoy his coming time away from work, we know he will be hard to replace.

Kornegay is a product of Thomas County Schools, so his connection and devotion to the system is evident and has manifested itself in what he has done in his six years as superintendent and in his career.

Kornegay started not in the Rose City but in the Bird Dog Capital of the World, becoming a teacher in the Burke County system in Waynesboro. He came back to Thomas County as an English teacher at Thomas County Central and added his second and third STAR Teacher awards.

Eventually, Kornegay moved up into administration, as assistant principal at Cross Creek Elementary and Thomas County Central before becoming principal at Cross Creek. There, he led a school that had been on the Needs Improvement list, under the old No Child Left Behind standards, to making Adequate Yearly Progress.

After seven years as assistant superintendent with the city school system, Kornegay was named to lead the county schools in 2011. 

The county schools now offer 16 Advanced Placement courses for high school students. To get children ready for the challenges of the 21st century, pupils at any level can begin learning computer coding.

The system has received accolades and honors throughout its grade levels,from the elementary schools being named Gold and Silver winners by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to being the first system in the area to award the International Skills Diploma Seal to graduating seniors this spring.

The school system’s enrollment has grown by nearly 12.8 percent since 2012, just shy of 6,000 students in its schools for 2016. That is remarkable growth and it could be a reflection of how the school system is perceived.

School board members have tapped Dr. Lisa Williams to follow Kornegay as superintendent, and she will have the benefit of learning the ropes from Kornegay for the entire coming school year.

School board members heartily endorsed Williams as the successor, though following in Kornegay’s footsteps is a sizable task. We know he won’t get a case of the adult version of senioritis but in-stead will continue to push for ways to better educate and better prepare Thomas County students for the years ahead in his final year with the system.