Moore County Schools superintendent announces retirement effective March 1, 2026

Dr. Christopher Locklear, superintendent of Moore County Schools, announced at the board's organizational meeting on Dec. 1 that he intends to retire effective March 1, 2026. He said the decision "is driven from both personal and professional perspectives," citing health, and a desire to spend more time with family.

"Serving as superintendent of Moore County Schools has been a distinct honor and privilege," Locklear said, adding that the district is "in a great place overall" with strong leadership in central office and schools. He pledged to remain fully engaged with the board "over the next few months" to help ensure "a smooth and steady transition."

Board members responded with thanks and plans to mark his service. The board's next formal step will be to set a process and timeline for hiring his replacement; the meeting later added a superintendent search workshop to the agenda and staff and the board attorney reviewed best practices for that process.

Locklear said the timing of his retirement should give the district "the opportunity to work through a selection process" so a permanent successor could be installed in the new fiscal year. The board and staff said they would coordinate with legal counsel and, likely, a search consultant to advertise, solicit community input and complete background checks before naming finalists.

The board will discuss the search timeline and budget at upcoming meetings; Locklear remains in the role during the transition period and has indicated he will assist with onboarding the district's next leader as needed.