Paducah Tilghman Assistant Principal Deatrik Kinney has been selected to be the next principal of Paducah Tilghman High School by the PTHS principal hiring committee.
Kinney has been an educator and school administrator for fifteen years. His career began at Fulton County Middle School, where he taught Health Education and Physical Education from 2008 – 2016. He was also a SBDM faculty representative and District Wellness Coordinator at Fulton County. He then went to Todd County Central High School, where he was Assistant Principal from 2016-18 and was Principal from 2018-2021. He joined the administration at Paducah Tilghman in 2021, serving as Assistant Principal and Director of Athletics.
Kinney earned his B.S. in Education from Murray State University. He earned his M.A.E., Rank 1 in Instructional Leadership, and Ed.S. with an endorsement in Pupil Personnel from University of the Cumberlands.
“Mr. Kinney brings significant knowledge and experience to his new role as Paducah Tilghman principal,” said Assistant Superintendent Will Black. “He loves PTHS, and he is committed to continuing Paducah Tilghman’s tradition of excellence. We look forward to working with him as our district moves closer to its vision of knowing each and every student by name and need.”
“I am so excited words cannot express the way I feel right now,” said Kinney. “I look forward to building relationships with our stakeholders, students and staff as we advance our academics and make sure each student has access to resources and a chance to be successful in the classroom.”
The selection of Kinney by the principal hiring committee was the culmination of a search process that was begun after current principal Allison Stieg announced her retirement in December 2022. The hiring committee included representatives from diverse stakeholder groups including teachers, parents, classified staff, school and district administrators, students, and community leaders.
Kinney will begin his work as principal on July 1, 2023.