February 26, 2022

The Raytown C-2 School District Board of Education is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox, as the superintendent of the Raytown C-2 School District beginning with the 2022-2023 school-year.

Dr. Martin-Knox currently serves as the Superintendent of Sumter School District in Sumter, South Carolina. Current Raytown Superintendent Dr. Allan Markley is retiring at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Dr. Martin-Knox will begin her tenure on July 1, following Dr. Markley’s retirement on June 30.

“We are excited about the selection of Dr. Martin-Knox and look forward to a long and exceptional partnership. The Board wishes to thank Dr. Markley for his leadership, and we are confident that he will be a great help to our new superintendent throughout the transition process in order to make it a smooth one and keep us moving forward at the same time,” Raytown Board of Education President Mr. Alonzo Burton said.

“The Board of Education is grateful to the community and district stakeholders who provided feedback through surveys and focus groups during the superintendent selection process. The Board is confident that the strength and experience of our current administrative team will be a wonderful support to Dr. Martin-Knox as we welcome her to the district.” Raytown Board of Education Vice-President Mrs. Beth Plank said.

Dr. Martin-Knox is a career educator with 29 years of experience in education. She has dedicated her efforts to ensure positive academic outcomes for all children. Dr. Martin-Knox is serving 15,000 children in her current school district.

Prior to her appointment as Superintendent of the Sumter School District, Dr. Martin-Knox served in several positions with Baltimore County Public Schools in Baltimore, Maryland, which is the 25th largest school district in the nation with 175 schools and 114,000 students. Her positions included the Chief of School Climate and Safety, Community Superintendent for elementary, middle and high schools, as well as the Assistant Superintendent of middle schools.

During her career in education, Dr. Martin-Knox has proudly served in the classroom as a high school music and reading teacher, a middle school instrumental music teacher, performing arts department chairperson, a middle school assistant principal and principal.

Dr. Martin-Knox is frequently invited to present at workshops and provide professional development for school leadership, school safety, and educational conferences, including national events. Dr. Martin-Knox presented “The World of Females: Relational Aggression” at the National Conference on Girls Bullying.

During her teaching tenure, Dr. Martin-Knox’s concert bands and orchestras earned a reputation for excellence by consistently receiving superior ratings at district and state festivals, as well as national music contests.

Dr. Martin-Knox is extremely excited and proud to be a part of the Raytown community and to continue serving children. Dr. Martin-Knox is supported by her husband Eric, who is a Sergeant with the Baltimore County Police Department, her son Patrick, and her bonus son Sean.

“Being a part of the Raytown Quality School District is truly exciting. I am ready to partner with staff, parents and the community to create endless opportunities for our children! We Are Raytown and We Are #Unstoppable,” Dr. Martin-Knox said.

Dr. Martin-Knox was selected by the Board of Education after a national superintendent search.

There will be opportunities for the community to meet and interact with Dr. Martin-Knox before her start date on July 1. Those opportunities will be shared with the community at a later date.