At a called Russellville City Schools board meeting this past week, RHS Principal Dr. Jason Goodwin was hired as the new administrative assistant at the RCS Central Office.

Goodwin will serve along with current administrative assistant Claudia Askew under RCS Superintendent Dr. Heath Grimes. His new role will include several responsibilities, one of which will be serving as the go-to person for the system’s safety coordination, something on which all school systems nationwide are placing more focus.

“We have a lot of new security features in place this school year across our system, many of which are taking effect at RHS, which Dr. Goodwin has been part of,” Grimes said. “As much as we don’t want to have to think about anything bad happening in our schools, we know we must be prepared and stay vigilant.

“A lot of what Dr. Goodwin will be doing is coordinating our efforts to make our campus as safe as it can possibly be.”

Goodwin has spent the past seven years at RCS, where he was first hired as the assistant principal in 2015 before becoming the principal in 2016. He has served in this capacity since then, earning his doctorate degree in December 2020 in organizational change and leadership in rural education.

“Dr. Goodwin has proven his leadership abilities and dedication to RCS over his time here,” Grimes said. “He has followed a natural progression in our leadership process and has excelled in the roles he has held. He understands and supports the mission and vision for our system as well as our strategic plan, and he will be a great asset to our district leadership team.”

Goodwin said he’s excited to take on this new role and use the knowledge he’s gained to benefit the system as a whole.

“I am humbled and honored to be provided the opportunity to serve our school system in the position of administrative assistant,” he said. “Our school board and Dr. Grimes have placed their trust in me as the high school principal for the past seven years. That trust has yielded many gained experiences, which I feel can be beneficial in continuing the forward movement of our school system at the district level.

“Outside of professional growth, my decision to apply for this position was influenced mostly by my desire and obligation to utilize my abilities and the experiences I’ve gained throughout our school system,” he added. “When my family moved to Russellville in 2015, we made the commitment that Russellville would be our forever home. My children have grown up in this community, started school in this school system and know nothing other than black and gold. As a result, I am dedicated to continuing the work of making sure this system is the best it can be.”

Even though he’s excited about what’s to come, he said the change in position will be bittersweet as he leaves his role as principal at RHS Sept. 1.

“It has been a tremendous honor working with such a dedicated staff that cares immensely for our students,” Goodwin said. “The hardest part of my decision to apply for this position was the thought of leaving this school with the greatest staff and greatest student body in the entire state. I will miss serving RHS in that capacity, but I look forward to serving RHS and all our schools in my new role.”