CLEVELAND — After 34 years of being an educator, White County High School Principal John Osborne is retiring.
During last week’s meeting of the White County Board of Education, the board voted to release Osborne from his contract effective June 30.
Osborne has served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent during his tenure in education. He has served as principal at the high school in Cleveland since 2010.
He said he is going to do something different, but he doesn’t know what now.
“It’s scary and exciting,” Osborne said. “I haven’t got to the exciting part yet,” Osborne said.
Osborne said it’s time to move on to other ventures.
“I’m losing my energy a little bit,” Osborne said. “it’s time for somebody else to take it and go. A high school – you never perfect a high school.”
Osborne admits he doesn’t know what direction he will be going, saying, “Somewhere, someway, I’ll be I’m sure working with kids, because that’s what the good Lord put me here on earth to do.”
Osborne said he wants to follow the advice his dad taught him.
“My dad always taught me, always leave something better than you found it and he also said you can wear out your welcome, I want to make sure I don’t wear out my welcome, but I do hope that I left it in better shape that I found it,” Osborne said.
The board of education also accepted the resignation of White County High School Assistant Principal Steve Bartlett and transferred Angie Helton, who is serving as director of student accountability, to assistant principal at the high school effective next school year.
