Newport Superintendent Matt Atkins has sported district swag for as long as he can remember.
Hanging in his office is a homemade white baby sweater emblazoned with a Newport wildcat — the first evidence of the generational pride that drove him to lead his hometown district.
Atkins has served the district for more than two decades. He started as interim superintendent last year and stepped into the role permanently on July 1.
Opening day as interim superintendent last fall hit him as a big moment.
He gave a welcome speech focused on building trust and unifying the district.
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“I talked about that all the people in the room would be the difference-makers for kids,” he said. “It’s up to us to turn our district around.”
Those were important themes as the district came off a difficult year, Atkins told LINK nky.
The district was steeling for multimillion-dollar budget deficit when former Superintendent Tony Watts resigned from his position in May 2025.
The district has since managed to turn its financial ship since Atkins became interim superintendent in June 2025.
Atkins’ first teaching job was in Pendleton County, but he said the goal was always to come home to Newport, where he graduated as senior class president.
Since taking his first teaching position at the district as an eighth-grade social studies teacher, he’s held many others: as football coach, intermediate school assistant principal and primary school principal.
He’s especially proud of his long tenure working with the district’s youngest learners at Newport Primary School.
“Learning how to teach reading and math foundations, that was so good for my career,” Atkins said.
And he learned from teenagers at Newport Intermediate School.
“You learn a lot from teenagers about teaching expectations and being consistent,” he said.
Atkins believes relationship building is one of the most important parts of his job.
“It’s not just administrators, but going all the way from students, making sure you know all your students’ names, their likes and dislikes,” he said.
It’s about hearing the voice of the whole Newport village: cafeteria workers, bus drivers, crossing guards, teachers, community members and alumni, he said.
That’s what moves a district in the right direction, Atkins told LINK nky.
It also matters that students see their teachers outside classroom hours at sports games and other activities — and that the Newport community sees him outside of school.
When Atkins isn’t dealing with the meat and potatoes of district operations, he takes long walks around town to chat with the community.
“It’s so important,” he said. “And it’s also enjoyable.”
Otherwise, he’s spending time with his family.
One of his plans during his first formal year as superintendent is engaging the district’s strong alumni network, which he’s steeped in as a graduate.
“A lot of families in Newport stay,” Atkins said. “So a lot of trust is built that way as well.”
