St. Croix District Insular Superintendent of Schools Carlos McGregor will retire on Dec. 31, concluding 33 years of service at the Virgin Islands Department of Education.
During a gift presentation to McGregor on Dec. 23, Education Commissioner Racquel Berry- Benjamin thanked the veteran educator for his years of service to the children and families of St. Croix.
“Mr. McGregor, it was both an honor and a pleasure having you on my leadership team these last three years,” she said. “Prior to selecting you for this role, I had heard so much about your work, and I also had the opportunity to work with you on cultural programming during your time at Elena Christian. I knew that you were the right person to lead the district. I wish you the very best on your retirement and in this new chapter of your life.”
McGregor began his career as a kindergarten teacher at the Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School (now Pearl B. Larsen PreK-8 School) and has also served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal at elementary and secondary schools throughout the district. In February 2019, he was appointed superintendent.
During his three-year tenure as St. Croix’s top educational leader, McGregor has notably led district schools through the onset and ongoing emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, students and teachers were issued new laptops and MiFi devices and given access to various technologies to ensure teaching and learning could continue.
Furthermore, McGregor oversaw retrofitting school campuses and classrooms with CDC-compliant resources so schools could eventually reopen safely, which they did in March 2021.
Additionally, McGregor presided over the increase of the district’s prekindergarten offerings— going from two to five classrooms — in line with the Department’s push to provide children greater access to early childhood education.
McGregor also adjusted school start and end times to better meet the needs of students and parents and pioneered a shift in the district’s learning structure by creating four K-8 schools — a learning model that has benefitted students’ academic and social development at schools on the mainland.
In a retirement announcement letter to staff, McGregor said it “was a pleasure to work with all employees at the Office of the Insular Superintendent” and expressed his gratitude to Governor Bryan, Berry-Benjamin, Deputy Superintendents Dr. Carla Bastian and Ericilda Ottley-Herman, and Executive Assistant Kayavril Duncan-Smalls.