The Winona Montgomery Consolidated School District welcomes a new superintendent to serve Montgomery County’s students.
Dr. Howard Savage Jr. was appointed by Winona Montgomery Consolidated School District (WMCSD) Board members as the district’s next Superintendent of Education. The board voted on the appointment during a June 14 meeting, according to a statement released by the district.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to work in a district of success,” said Savage.
A native of Grenada, Savage comes to Winona from the Pascagoula-Gautier School District, rated an A school district, where he served as Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, overseeing six secondary school sites’ curriculum and instruction, the release stated.
“I thought it was a great time in my career to be superintendent,” explained Savage of his move to WMCSD. He said accepting the position with the school district in Montgomery County allowed him to be closer to his home, and the change will be a “good fit” for him and his family.
He served two years as Executive Principal for the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District from 2020 to 2022, where he helped improve the accountability rating from a C to a B at Starkville High School.
As an administrator and principal with the Quitman Consolidated School District, Savage led Quitman High School in improving from a D to a B rating, growing 193 points on the Mississippi Accountability Model – the highest growth of any school since the inception of the accountability system, according to the statement. He was awarded the 2018 Mississippi Administrator of the Year award by the Mississippi Department of Education for his leadership in these efforts.
According to WMCSD, Savage began his career in education in 2011 at the Hattiesburg Public School District as a teacher, working his way up to Assistant Principal of Hattiesburg High School and Mary Bethune Alternative School. There he assisted Hattiesburg High School grow student achievement from a D to a C rating.
“Dr. Savage brings with him 16 years of experience in education,” said Jill White, president of the WMCSD Board of Trustees, in the release. “He has a proven record of improving student achievement as well as building community engagement and campus culture, recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, and strategically planning for long-term success.”
Savage currently serves in several state leadership positions focusing on accountability, faculty and staff retention, and school culture.
“I’ve served on the Principal Advisory, Accountability Taskforce, Mississippi Professional Educators and Mississippi Association of Educators,” said Savage.
Savage received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in August 2001 and his Associate of Science from Northeast Mississippi Community College in 2016. He earned his master’s degree in Educational Leadership in 2014 and his specialist in Instructional Leadership in 2016 from William Carey University. In 2017, he received his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from William Carey University.
A passionate advocate of professional development, Savage has completed the Area Development Partnership Pinebelt Leadership, University of Southern Mississippi Center of Service and Leadership Development, National Institute of School Leaders, Millsaps Principals Institute, CEO Principals Leadership Academy and Prospective Superintendent Leadership Academy, according to WMCSD.
Savage was honored as the 2022 Mississippi Association of Partners in Education Governor’s Award Winner, the 2019 Mississippi Theatre Association Administrator of the Year, the 2019 Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education Administrator of the Year, and the 2018 Mississippi Association of Educators Administrator of the Year, according to WMCSD.
Savage and his wife, Dr. Angela Savage, who serves as the director of Social Work at Mississippi State University – Meridian Campus, have three children, Amara, Amarion, and Amaya.
Savage said of his appointment, “I would like to thank the Board of Trustees of the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District for the opportunity to serve as the next Superintendent of Education. I am extremely excited to start the process of meeting, listening, and collaborating with our stakeholders to continue to build on the previous success of the district. We will continue to Work Together, Move Forward, and Create Opportunities for our students and community.”
Savage will assume his position as WMCSD Superintendent of Education on July 1.
He said he plans to work with the community and stakeholders to devise a strategy that will raise school scores while attracting businesses and industries to area and building the school district’s brand.
He looks forward to joining the district in showing support of families and students as they work to “increase student achievement.”
