With Suffolk Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Deran Whitney having announced plans to retire Sept. 1, the School Board will turn its attention to an interim successor and permanent replacement at its Thursday meeting.

The appointment of a designee/interim superintendent, along with the approval of a superintendent search firm, is on the agenda.

Announcing his retirement at the end of the April 11 School Board meeting, Whitney noted that the date of his retirement would mark “roughly 30 years of serving students, staff, teachers and parents in various roles.”

Whitney was deputy superintendent prior to Dr. Milton Liverman’s retirement in 2010. He became superintendent in January 2011 and cited major budget challenges at the start of his tenure as superintendent.

Also on the School Board’s agenda is a resolution approving the terms and conditions of a form agreement between the School Board and the Virginia Retirement System to allow eligible Suffolk Public Schools employees to take part in Virginia’s voluntary group long-term care insurance program.

The board is also set to take up a resolution on spending end-of-the-year funds for fiscal year 2018-2019 “for certain designated repair and/or purchasing needs, and take up the special education annual plan for 2019-2020.

The School Board meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the City Council chambers at 442 W. Washington St. and will take up a motion to go into closed session before returning at 6 p.m. for a presentation of honor graduates from Lakeland High School, followed by the rest of the board’s agenda.