Dr. John-Mark Cain is the Superintendent of the Lauderdale County School District and is in his fourth year. Born in Natchez, MS, Dr. Cain grew up in Holmes County, where he graduated from Durant High School in 1998. After a successful high school baseball career, Dr. Cain attended Holmes Community College to play for the Bulldogs. After earning his AA from HCC, he attended Mississippi State University, earning a B.S. in Elementary Education. Working as a teacher and coach at Kosciusko Junior High School, Cain earned his M.A. in American History from Mississippi State University.
Next, Dr. Cain entered the world of school administration while at the Kosciusko School District serving as an assistant principal, elementary principal, and high school principal. While principal of Kosciusko Middle Elementary, the school was recognized as a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School and the Mississippi Department of Education Champions of Change Award in 2012 and 2013. All the while Dr. Cain earned his Ed.S. and Ph. D. at the University of Mississippi in Educational Leadership where he earned top academic honors.
Dr. Cain transitioned to the central office becoming the Deputy Superintendent in the Scott County School District in charge of school improvement. While there, Morton High School earned its first-ever “B” rating under Mississippi’s School Accountability System. After two years, Dr. Cain was selected to serve as Lauderdale County’s first appointed superintendent. In 2020, Dr. Cain was recognized as Top 40 Under 40 (Top Ten Finalist) by the Mississippi Business Journal. He has been featured in a book on successful principalship and has spoken at various conferences and with civic organizations on the challenges of being a superintendent.
Past AASA Mississippi Superintendent of the Year Winners:
2021 Mississippi Superintendent of the Year: Matt Dillon
2020 Mississippi Superintendent of the Year: Wayne Rodolfich
About the Superintendent of the Year:
As a sponsor of the superintendent of the Year program, First Student wants to recognize these leaders in a special way this year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption that has affected all education systems but also the innovative approaches that the superintendents and school districts addressed through radio, television, zoom and take-home packages. These superintendents are the very best in public education and are needed more than ever during this crisis.
About the Award:
The superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by First Student and AASA, The School superintendents Association, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation’s public schools.
State level winners are selected on the following criteria:
- Leadership for Learning
- Communication
- Professionalism
- Community Involvement