Crenshaw County Schools Superintendent Kathi H. Wallace was officially sworn in for a second term in office early Tuesday, Jan. 2, at the Crenshaw County Board of Education.

Crenshaw County Probate Judge Jim Perdue carried out the oath of office while Wallace's parents, Billy and Julia Haws of Brantley, stood beside her.

&#8220I know that I have said over and over again that it is an honor to be your superintendent, but I'm really very humbled to be your superintendent,” an emotional Wallace told the gathering. &#8220I thank you for coming today, I appreciate your support, and I want to ask you for your prayers for these next four years.”

Wallace, who was appointed July 1, 2003, by the Board of Education to finish the term of then-Superintendent Craig Pouncey, was elected for her second term in Nov. She ran unopposed.

Wallace began her career in education in Greenville in 1978 until she transferred to Highland Home School and taught math from 1981 until 1988. She then taught math at Luverne High School from 1988 until 1996. In 1996, she was appointed as the assistant principal of Highland Home School, where she served for the next two years.

In 1998, she became principal of Brantley School and served in that capacity for the next four years. She then served as a Central Office Supervisor during the 2002-2003 school year, before being appointed as superintendent.

Not only has Wallace been with the school system since 1981, she also has the prestige of

being the first woman superintendent of schools for Crenshaw County, something that she is very proud of.

When it comes to her years as superintendent, Wallace said that gaining Unitary Status for the school system and coming out from under a 40-year-old lawsuit was one of her primary goals when she came to the office.

&#8220Being declared ‘Unitary Status' is a very big deal for our school system, and it is something that we are very proud of,” Wallace said.

Another item for which Wallace is very proud is the maintaining of financial security for the school system.

&#8220We now have a month and a half ‘s operating balance in the general fund reserve, and that has not always been the case,” she said. &#8220Financially, the school system is in good shape.”

As for the future, Wallace wants to focus on the District SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) Accreditation for the Crenshaw County School System.

&#8220Each of our schools already has SACS accreditation,” she said. &#8220However, very few school districts in the state have been accredited as a whole.”

In addition to several friends and co-workers, Wallace thanked her family for coming to the swearing-in ceremony and for supporting her.

Those family members in attendance included her parents, Billy and Julia Haws of Brantley, her husband, Gerald Wallace, her brother, Stan Haws, her nephew, Shane Haws, her sister, Jackie Barnes, and her great-niece, Kendal Nichols.