Veteran administrator King Laurence was appointed by the Aiken County Board of Education late Tuesday as the Interim Superintendent for Aiken County Public Schools effective Saturday, September 14. Laurence’s appointment follows the recent resignation of the school system’s exiting Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford.
Laurence has an educational career spanning three decades, with 22 years of them in Aiken County Public Schools. He currently serves as the District’s Chief Officer of Administration and Human Resources, a role he has held since 2016.
“During my time in this District, I have witnessed a team of individuals unmatched in its commitment to service,” Laurence stated. “I am proud of the things that we have accomplished and am devoted to our continued success. It is my aim to help this community heal so that we can continue the great work here in Aiken County.”
A graduate of the University of South Carolina Aiken in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education, Laurence received his Master’s in Educational Administration in 1990 from the University of South Carolina and has attained an additional thirty graduate semester hours. Laurence is licensed and certified to serve as a School Superintendent by the South Carolina Department of Education and has served in varied leadership roles for Aiken County Public Schools, including as an Associate Superintendent (2012-2016), Director of Federal Programs (2005-2012), and as a school Principal (1998-2005). Prior to his service in Aiken County, Laurence served as a Teacher and Administrator in the Edgefield County School District.
Laurence has represented Aiken County at the state level on the executive board of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators’ Instructional Leaders Roundtable, as president of the South Carolina Association of Title I Administrators, and as Conference Chair for the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. He is part of a number of professional organizations and has served on numerous Boards and Committees, including the South Carolina Reading Recovery Advisory Council and the South Carolina Association of School Administrators Instructional Leaders Divisions’ Executive Committee.
Locally, he is President of the Sunrise Rotary Club and served on the Education Matters Board of Directors, a group he chaired from 2015-17. Laurence was a Charter Member of Aiken County First Steps and has served as a Board Member and Vice Chair of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center Advisory Board (2013-16). Laurence is the 2016 Recipient of the Robert E. Alexander Outstanding K-12 Administrator of the Year Award and also received a State Leadership Award from the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators (2012).
As the District moves forward, Laurence commented that “ONE TEAM” is more than just words.
“It is a promise that we are committed to a common vision to improve the lives of the people of Aiken County through education,” he continued. “Our students, parents, and community deserve nothing less, and, together, that’s just what we are going to do.”
LINK TO DISTRICT'S PRESS RELEASE: 2019 PR INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT