RIPLEY – The South Tippah School Board voted 5-0 Monday night to hire Baldwyn High School Assistant Principal Jeff Palmer as the next principal of Ripley High School.

Palmer begins work July 1. He will replace Lynn McGee, who is retiring.

Efforts to teach Palmer for comment Tuesday morning weren’t successful.

Said Superintendent Frank Campbell Tuesday morning:

“We felt he was very qualified for the position. Baldwyn High School is a High Performing School (one step below the state’s top rating) under the state accountability model, as is Ripley. We believe Mr. Palmer will help us maintain this accountability level as we strive toward Star School rating.”

Palmer, 38, is a Baldwyn native who graduated from that school, went to Northeast Mississippi Community College and earned his undergraduate degree from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. He earned his master’s in educational leadership from Ole Miss.

He has 10 years in education and is an Army veteran. He has been assistant principal at Baldwyn seven years.

He was an assistant coach on the State Champion 2008-2009 Baldwyn football team. He has also coached baseball.

He and his wife, Wanda – a Pine Grove High School graduate who now works in the Baldwyn School District central office – have a son and daughter. The family will relocate to this area, and she plans to keep her job with the Baldwyn district.

Said Campbell: “Mr. Palmer comes to us with several years of experience as an educator, having taught and coached before becoming an administrator. We are excited to have him at Ripley High School. We welcome him and his family to the South Tippah community.”

Campbell said Palmer’s hiring will speed the search for a new baseball, football and volleyball coach for Ripley High School as the latter two seasons near.

Said Campbell: “He’ll be working on all that, with the main objective getting the football coach replaced.

The school board set Palmer’s salary at $71,000.

Palmer will replace Lynn McGee, who has been principal for 17 years, as part of a 34-year educational career at the school.

McGee began work at Ripley High School after graduating from Mississippi State University, and earned his master’s after his first year at the school. He served as head coach for football and baseball before becoming principal.

Asked about his future plans, he said earlier this year: “I plan to resurface working somewhere in some capacity – not necessarily education. I don’t plan to go to the house and sit down.”