Dr. Wiley J. Doby has accepted the job as superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury Schools. Now it’s time for the community to get to know and accept him.

Doby is a relative beginner at the superintendent business. Having worked several years as a teacher and principal, he first became superintendent of the Alexander County schools just two years ago. But his track record there is strong — for example, the low-performing high school has had something of a turnaround — enough to impress all seven members of the Rowan-Salisbury School Board. He has their enthusiastic endorsement.

That in itself says a lot. The school board is not an easy group to sway. Unanimity is especially rare.

The challenges lying before Doby are tremendous. He will head a much larger and more diverse school system than he had in Alexander County, the difference between 5,400 students and 20,000. He’ll be moving from a system with only one high school to one with five, and a full-blown redistricting controversy to boot.

But therein lies Doby’s and Rowan-Salisbury’s opportunity. The community is at a crossroads on redistricting and has been floundering for several months. If Doby can lead the way as the redistricting committee wraps up its work and the school board makes a final decision on this one matter, that could free the school system to move ahead on all fronts. There is so much more to education than where a child goes to school.

Doby will have a full plate. The system needs to move beyond the achievement plateau where it sits right now. The ABC plan requires it, and a funding agreement with county commissioners makes improvement even more imperative. This is no time to let up the pressure to raise student achievement.

Countless other issues await action: The Exceptional Children’s program needs attention. Social promotions are ending. With a strong generation of teachers reaching retirement age, the system joins the rest of the state in facing a near-crisis in teacher recruitment. Pay questions have arisen for those outside the classroom. Then there are the matters of dropout prevention, keeping schools safe and enforcing policy fairly. The list could go on forever.

Doby will come to Rowan County with a fresh perspective on all these issues, and the power to set a new agenda. He won’t know our history, but he won’t be biased by it, either. He has a lot to learn, and a lot to teach Rowan County. His arrival is eagerly anticipated.