Community, OSD Say Goodbye to Superintendent Harvey

The community gathered Monday to extend well wishes to retiring Oxford School District Superintendent Brian Harvey. His last day will be June 30.

“One of the greatest honors of my life is to have graduated from Oxford High School and then be able to work in the district as a teacher and coach and eventually as an administrator, for 26 years,” Harvey said during his retirement ceremony.

His work as superintendent since 2012 was chronicled in a video that played on screens during the event at the new Oxford High School Fine Arts Building.

Harvey has accomplished “many great things” as superintendent, said Romana Reed, a member of the Oxford School District Board of Trustees for about 15 years. Reed remembers when Harvey took over as superintendent and said she especially appreciates his hard work in extending career technical education programming in the school district.

“There is something here for every child,” Reed said. “There is a reason for them to come to school – and inspiration for them. I also appreciate Mr. Harvey’s work in trying to close the achievement gap. He could open the lines of communication that were not there before he took over. We will truly miss him. But we’re moving in the right direction, and I’m excited about that.”

Harvey, who plans on “doing some farming” after he leaves the school district, announced last year that he would retire. Assistant Superintendent Bradley Roberson will succeed him and takes the helm as superintendent on July 1.

Harvey began his teaching career in 1995 as a social studies teacher at Oxford Middle School. From 1998 to 2005, he taught history at Oxford High School and was the head coach of the Oxford Chargers baseball team. Harvey was also the ninth-grade technology discovery facilitator. In 2005, he became an assistant principal at Oxford High School and was named Central Elementary School principal a year later. After becoming principal of Oxford Middle School, he was named OSD assistant superintendent and served in that position from 2008 to 2011. He was the interim superintendent until his appointment as superintendent in 2012.

“I have had the privilege of working with some great board members, teachers, coaches and administrators,” Harvey said. “All of them have impacted me, and I hope that in some way I have impacted them, as well.”