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York County School Board Announces New Superintendent

The County School Board of York County unanimously selected Dr. James Carroll to serve as the York County School Division’s next superintendent, effective March 17, 2026. Dr. Carroll’s appointment is the culmination of a comprehensive national search which included board members reviewing more than a dozen candidates, conducting multiple rounds of interviews, identifying the candidate best suited to division needs and the priority criteria identified through community input.

Zoran Pajevic, School Board Chair, expressed strong confidence in Dr. Carroll’s appointment. “The Board is proud to appoint Dr. Carroll as the next superintendent,” Pajevic said. “Over the last 12 years, Dr. Carroll has demonstrated a strong level of commitment to YCSD students and to our mission. He brings steady leadership, real-world experience, and a clear focus on student achievement. Most importantly, he understands our community and shares our commitment to doing what is right for our kids. I am confident he is the right person to lead York County forward.”

With 36 years of experience in public education, Dr. Carroll began his career as a special education teacher in Florida’s Indian River County School District. Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including assistant principal and principal in school districts in Florida and North Carolina. In 2014, he joined YCSD as Chief Human Resources Officer and served six years as Chief Operations Officer. He was named the division’s interim superintendent in late 2025 following Dr. Victor Shandor’s retirement.

“I am honored by the opportunity to continue serving the York County School Division in this new role,” said Dr. Carroll. “YCSD has a proud tradition of excellence, and I look forward to building on this strong foundation, pursuing continuous improvement every day while staying anchored to our core values, our people and our purpose.”

Carroll earned his Doctor of Educational Leadership from Wingate University, a Master of Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida Southern College as well as a graduate certificate in Educational Finance from Georgetown University.

Over the course of his tenure in YCSD, Carroll overhauled hiring processes, introduced research-based working conditions surveys which help schools and departments strengthen workplace culture and student outcomes, guided major operational initiatives and crisis responses, and supervised more than $60 million in capital improvement projects to enhance learning environments throughout the division.

The Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) assisted the school board with the superintendent search process.

Superintendent Search Updates