Prince George school superintendent to retire

PRINCE GEORGE -- An educator for 38 years, R. Francis Moore puts students first.

During a career spanning four decades, Moore's focus on the children never changed as he rose through the ranks from a math teacher and basketball coach in Dinwiddie County to superintendent in neighboring Prince George County.

"Dr. Moore is one of the most thoughtful and well-rounded superintendents . . . that I have come to know," said Dinwiddie Superintendent Charles Maranzano Jr. "He's always thinking about how any decision affects children and students."

Moore, who has been Prince George's superintendent since 2006, is retiring at the end of August, ending an association with public schools in the Tri-Cities that dates back to his childhood in Petersburg as the son of the high school cafeteria manager.

Moore's departure saddens those he has worked with on the School Board. Chairman R.E. "Bobby" Cox credits much of the school system's success to Moore, who served many years as the county's assistant superintendent of personnel.

"He's responsible for hiring a lot of our employees. He brought a lot of the people on board," Cox said. "To me, the people are what makes the school division what it is today. I put a lot of that success on Dr. Moore, because he has a knack to hire the right people for the right positions."

Moore's retirement comes at the end of one of the most difficult years during his career as an educator: redistricting elementary school boundaries, the death of a School Board member in January and a budget shortfall of nearly $2.5 million.

With the infusion of stimulus money to offset the financial loss, Moore and the School Board put together a $60.15 million budget that avoided staff layoffs.

"He was very communicative, very supportive and worked with us . . . to come up with a plan that would allow the county to have a budget that would continue to provide services as they are and keep expenditures about 5 percent less than the current year," County Administrator John G. Kines Jr. said.

Moore started his career as a math teacher at Dinwiddie Junior High School in 1971 and remembers like it was yesterday, "going into that building and starting my first teacher job and the excitement that I had," said Moore, who earned a bachelor's degree and doctorate from Virginia Tech.

But even then, he wasn't sure how long he would be a teacher until realizing that it's what he enjoyed.

Moore's impact has extended beyond the county. He's helped position the school system to prepare for the students relocating to the county because of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process.

Known as a soft-spoken, calming influence, Moore is respected not only in Prince George, but throughout the education community as well, colleagues said.

Moore has been a familiar face in the county, attending sporting or civic events, to stay connected with the community.

"He's one of the finest people and one of the finest educators I've ever known," said James L. Ruffa, executive director of Appomattox Regional Governor's School. "He is a genuine person who cares about his staff and he's a very astute educator."

Kines, who as county administrator works closely with Moore, describes the superintendent as someone willing to discuss situations to find a suitable solution to everyone.

Once he steps away from his office in the School Board building, Moore will have plenty to keep him busy. He and his wife, Billie, love to travel, and his second grandchild was born a few weeks ago.

At the same time, it's hard to erase 31 years of dedication to the county's school system.

"Like I told the School Board, if there is anything I can do, with the transition or even afterward, I'm not just divorcing myself from the county at all," Moore said.

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .