Madison County begins search for new superintendent after Massey selected to lead Cyber school

HUNTSVILLE – The Madison County School District will soon begin a search for their next superintendent after Matt Massey was named the first president of the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering in Huntsville on Friday.

Massey served as superintendent of Madison County Schools for the past four and a half years.

“It’s not only an exciting opportunity to be named president of the school, but to be a resource for teachers and administrators to implement cyber and STEM into their schools,” said Massey. “The result will not just impact 300 students in the school, but will exponentially reach students and educators all across the state.”

Madison County Board of Education President David Weis said the board will hold a public meeting soon to discuss the future leadership of the school district.

The board will not rush through the process of appointing a new superintendent,” Weis said. “We will be thoughtful and methodical in our process and make our decision based on what is best for our students and school system.

Weis also congratulated Massey on his new position and said he is looking forward to working with him and the Cyber school in the future.

A campus for the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering will be built in Cummings Research Park on land to be donated to the School’s Foundation for the purpose of constructing and operating the School. The permanent location for the school is expected to be open in August 2022.

Until then, an interim was announced Friday. It will be located at the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Bevill Center. Scheduled for opening in August 2020, 10th and 11th grade students from across the state will be the first to attend the School at the UAH location.

Redstone Federal Credit Union President and CEO Joe Newberry presented a $3,000,000 gift Friday to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Foundation to support the construction and establishment of the School. “Education is a wonderful mechanism for bringing positive change to a community,” Newberry said. “This gift to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Foundation provides another opportunity for us to give back to our thriving communities. The benefits realized will continue for generations to come.”

The independent residential magnet school will provide academically motivated Alabama students from across the state with educational opportunities and experiences in the rapidly growing fields of cyber technology and engineering. The school will also assist a broad range of teachers, administrators, and superintendents across the State of Alabama in replicating cyber technology and engineering studies in their own schools.

“These are exciting milestones for the future of education in Alabama and for young people across the state who dream of next-generation careers,” Governor Kay Ivey said. “The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering will be a unique institution, preparing students all across the state with the skills they need for jobs that will be in high demand.”