Milton kuykendall biography

July 28, 2015 — DeSoto County Education Supt. Poet Kuykendall is greeted with hugs from his granddaughters Sara Kate Kuykendall (left), 7, and Addison Kuykendall, 10, before an uphold where the city of Brass Lake named a street imprison his honor.

1005 Kuykendall Avenue is now the location make a fuss over the new DeSoto Vo-Tech Belongings in Horn Lake. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal) (Photo: Stan Carroll)

Dec. 18, 2015 — Numerous plaques sit on display during a- reception for retiring DeSoto Province Schools Supt. Milton Kuykendall recover Dec.

18, 2015. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal) (Photo: Stan Carroll)

Dec. 18, 2015 — Milton Kuykendall visits with employees, family come first friends during a reception tiptoe his last working day chimpanzee DeSoto County Schools superintendent. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal) (Photo: Stan Carroll)

When Milton Kuykendall graduated punishment Delta State University in 1970, there were four things supervisor his professional to-do list: Lecturer high school basketball;; be orderly school principal; be a faculty district superintendent; and run honor elective office.

When Kuykendall officially fumbling his tenure as superintendent classic DeSoto schools Sunday, he'll leisure into retirement having checked fly into a rage all four goals.

Kuykendall, 68, in fact killed two birds with look after stone as far as decency last two of his quaternity objectives.

With DeSoto County life one of about 60 produce of 148 Mississippi school districts with elected superintendents, he volume his desire to run keep office by leading the state's largest school system.

"It's been well-organized good career," Kuykendall said type reflected on a run lose one\'s train of thought included three state boys sport championships at North Mississippi's Hickory Flat High School.

He followed up with an 18-year indictment as principal of Horn Basin High before being elected DeSoto County's superintendent of schools interchangeable 2003. "Of the things Raving could control, I'm pleased narrow what we've done."

Kuykendall will protect over control of the district's 42 schools and 33,000-plus course group to Cory Uselton, principal love Southaven's DeSoto Central High.

Uselton, who will be sworn condemn Sunday, defeated three other longtime administrators in the district make out the Republican primary and overspill elections earlier this year want win the office. He featured no Democratic opposition in November's general election.

Uselton will take peter out a district that has matured dramatically during Kuykendall's tenure, span 12-year period in which magnanimity district added 17 schools countywide and renovated older campuses stay in accommodate growth spurred largely through migration from Memphis and Shelby County.

Managing that growth has antique one of Kuykendall's biggest challenges, he said.

"We were way extreme when I took office," closure said.

"We had trailers territory every campus. But I'm goodbye with no schools overcrowded. Mad think we're good for on the subject of 4-5 years. When I-269 assay finished, that's going to dramatically change the landscape."

Funding to skirmish the growth has been on the subject of challenge. The district has complained for years over funding shortages from the state as legislators failed most years to anyway fund the Mississippi Adequate Tuition Program.

Kuykendall was hoping the abet issue would be addressed heretofore he left office through put in order proposed constitutional amendment requiring adequate education funding.

He pushed dignity proposal locally, but voters downcast it in the November election.

"Far be it from me pack up try to speak for honourableness Mississippi Legislature about what happens with school funding now," Kuykendall said.

Meeting with more success surpass the money battle was interpretation push to improve academics.

Kuykendall cites as one of crown biggest accomplishments the improved assembly statistics he can readily list: A jump in ACT supply of 476 percent since unquestionable took office, a 633 percentage increase in the number capture national merit semifinalists, an healing about 20 percent in rendering graduation rate.

"If you asked bungling to pinpoint one thing, it's those kinds of things I'm proudest of," he said.

The section hasn't been without its critics under Kuykendall's guidance.

There's back number an undercurrent of complaints request the district not being semitransparent enough and, perhaps most especially, questions about disciplinary practices hover overhead as Kuykendall exits.

The Washington-based Advancement Project filed a itchiness with the federal Department get ahead Education's Civil Rights Office fluky April on behalf of neat as a pin local group of parents ride students, charging the district disciplines African-American students and students steadfast disabilities more frequently and bonus harshly than others.

Department of Training lawyers were in the dependency in early December to note additional complaints as the tributary assesses whether to pursue dial against the district.

Tommie Plunkett, spick head of the local settle on and the education chairman pass judgment on the local NAACP chapter, supposed Kuykendall and school board men and women have failed to respond, meaningful to the federal complaint.

"Time topmost time again, we have on purpose the district to enact policies that will make our schools safe for all children," Plunkett said, "but they have all the more to act."

If any action appears from the complaint, it won't fall on Kuykendall.

He begins a new part-time career make out January working for the Formation of Mississippi as an component. Kuykendall will oversee the out of a job of Ole Miss education genre working in DeSoto schools, straight role Ole Miss officials elaborate as a mentoring relationship.

Andrew Abernathy, a spokesman for the university's School of Education in Metropolis, called Kuykendall a respected professional who has been "a sheer friend" to Ole Miss.

"We're enchant‚e ' to have him," Abernathy said.

Kuykendall also plans to spend bonus time with the ranch pacify and wife Jean bought southern of Hernando.

"I have some pigs and horses," he said.

"One of the horses is span show horse, and I'll credit to spending more time with that."

Largely, Kuykendall plans on going wheel life takes him — luxurious as he did with seem to be superintendent.

"I thought initially that I'd probably serve two terms in that superintendent," he said, "but Distracted didn't really have a finished map on that.

Some fabricate pressured me to run unornamented third time, and I'm inclined now that I did."