Central High School's longtime principal Finley King will retire in April and take a job with Delta Airlines, according to Hamilton County Schools.
Lee McDade, former assistant superintendent of operations who retired at the end of last school year, will come out of retirement as interim principal upon King's retirement.
Finley King / Photo contributed by Hamilton County SchoolsKing has been principal of the school since 2008, served as assistant principal prior to taking the helm of the school and even graduated from Central himself.
"I am blessed to have been here at CHS for such a long time as principal of my alma mater," said King in a statement. "I am now blessed to have been given a new career opportunity."
King's departure before the end of the school year is due to his Delta Airlines training schedule, according to a press release.
King started teaching at Chattanooga Middle School in 1991, before moving to Central High School as an assistant principal in 2005. He recently served on the district's Equity Task Force, one of the few principal representatives on the committee.
McDade previously worked as an assistant principal at Central High and Brown Middle School before taking over as principal at Lookout Valley Middle/High School in 2000. He joined district administration in 2011.
He served as acting assistant superintendent alongside former superintendent Kirk Kelly in 2016 after then-Superintendent Rick Smith stepped done following the 2015 Ooltewah rape case.
Hamilton County Schools has begun the process to find a new principal for Central High School for then 2019-2020 school year, according to the press release.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.