The North Pike School District Board of Trustees is excited to announce the hiring of Dr. Jay Smith as Superintendent beginning July 1, 2021. Smith served as the assistant superintendent in the North Pike School District from 2012-2016. Dr. Smith is now in his fifth year as the Superintendent of the Long Beach School District, where under Smith's leadership the school district is one of only nine statewide that has maintained an "A" rating for the past five consecutive years. Smith brings to North Pike sixteen years of experience as an elementary, middle, and high school principal. He has nine years of experience as a central office administrator, including the past five years as Superintendent in the Long Beach School District. While in Long Beach, Dr. Smith was selected to serve as the only Superintendent on Governor Phil Bryant's School Safety Task Force and has been tapped to serve on several statewide task forces including those on assessment, accountability, and transportation.

Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents. Dr. Smith has taught graduate level leadership courses at both Mississippi College and the University of Southern Mississippi in the areas of School Law and School Finance. He is also a United States Army veteran having served in the infantry with the 5th Infantry Division. Dr. Smith is married to Michelle Smith, a North Pike Elementary Assistant Principal. They have six children and among them is their daughter, who attends 3rd grade at North Pike Elementary. We are very pleased to have Dr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, and their daughter as members of the Jaguar Nation! We are excited for what the future holds for our school district and community! Go Jags!