On Wednesday night, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education unanimously chose retired Johnston County Superintendent Jim Causby as interim superintendent, as the school system searches for a permanent replacement for Tom Forcella, who is leaving at the end of July.

The decision to hire Causby was also announced in a CHCCS news release on Wednesday night.

An excerpt:

“In considering several people for an interim superintendent, we were pleased to hear how Dr. Causby’s deep understanding of the interim superintendent role and emphasis on working with all staff fit with CHCCS and this board,” said Board of Education Chair James Barrett.

“That will allow usto keep what is working in this overall high-performing district while continuing our focus on areas we need to improve. Having Dr. Causby in place will allow the board to focus more of our time on listening to the school community about what we require in a new superintendent and ensuring that we find the best candidate possible for this district.”

A native of McDowell County, Dr. Causby has enjoyed a long and successful career in North Carolina’s public education system, including 27 years as a superintendent in four districts. He is currently semi-retired and works as an education and marketing consultant. Dr. Causby has a wide range of experience from the classroom to the central office, starting out as a teacherand coach before moving up to principal and ultimately superintendent positions.

He has had success as a superintendent leading Swain County Schools for 11 years, Polk County Schools for five years, and Johnston County Schools for 10 years. He also served as interim superintendent of Hickory City Schools in 2011. From 2004 to 2013, Dr. Causby led two statewide organizations, serving as Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA) and the North Carolina School Superintendents Association (NCSSA). His exemplary service and leadership have often been recognized; he was named NC Superintendent of the Year three times and was named to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine – North Carolina’s highest civilian award.

Causby starts his new job when Forcella steps down on July 31.

As reported by Chapelboro,com, he’ll “make Forcella’s $208,000 annual salary, along with a travel and living allowance.”