Dr. Michael G. Basham could have come to Hertford County to enjoy semiretirement.

With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Basham had proven his worth in education many, many times before he accepted the opportunity to direct the Hertford County Public Schools.

We have indeed been fortunate that Dr. Basham didn’t come here to enjoy a paycheck in his latter days in education. He came here to work.

Anyone who doubts that Dr. Basham worked during his two-plus years in Hertford County need look no further than his record:

a new Ninth Grade Academy;

the C.S. Brown Student Development Center;

state of the art activity buses;

increased test scores and a lower dropout rate;

the early college high school

a high school that is 700-plus instead of 1,100-plus in enrollment; and perhaps most importantly,

a district of teachers and administrators who now believe a quality education in Hertford County’s public schools is a viable option.

While it is a shame that family obligations have cut short his desired tenure in Hertford County, the long-lasting affects of Dr. Michael G. Basham’s tenure here cannot be denied.

When Dr. Basham steps aside officially this summer, he will have the opportunity to look back on his time here and we believe he will be pleased with what he sees.

Now that he has decided to end his career in education, we wish him a long, happy retirement. He has spent more than 30 years earning that right, but the past two have been perhaps his most successful and certainly the ones that mean so much to us.

When he leaves in November Dr. Basham will have accomplished what he came here to do: He has made the lives of our children better.

– The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald