Superintendent Wayne May is the public face of the Dallas County School System, but behind the scenes the superintendent is just one part of a larger team responsible for the education of this area’s students.

May makes all the final administrative decisions, but very little of what he does is not first discussed with administrative assistants Freeman Waller and Don Willingham.

These two right-hand men put a lot of work, research and planning into making sure the superintendent’s goals are met and day-to-day tasks run smoothly.

It’s a tedious job that largely goes unrecognized. That is, until three months ago when May underwent open-heart surgery.

Overnight, these two men suddenly found themselves in the head role at the school system while the superintendent spent the summer recovering.

The transition was so smooth that May’s absence was hardly noticeable.

“Mr. May never kept us out of the loop,” Waller said. “He gave us a chance to express our thoughts and the freedom to do so. It was easy when he left because we were all in the loop.”

Willingham said he really did not do anything different from what he has always done at the school system.

“There were no surprises,” he said. “We have been a part of the decision-making for the past four years. It was a normal position to fill.”

Both men said the superintendent was kept constantly informed about what was going on with the school system and everything was in order when he returned in August.

“They didn’t miss a beat,” May said. “I was probably more of a pest than a help. I knew they could do the job because they have shown outstanding leadership in the past.”

Willingham began his career with the county school system as a business and marketing teacher. Fresh from college with a business degree, Willingham said he thought teaching would be temporary until something better came along.

Now, 27 years later, he still finds himself working with teachers and students.

Waller also began his 35 years with the school system as a teacher at the now-closed Emanuel Brown School. Before becoming an administrative assistant, he was assistant principal at Southside High School, principal at Tipton Middle School, principal at Keith High School, and supervisor of transportation and textbooks.

“After I graduated from Tuskegee, I really wanted to go into law,” Waller said. “I decided to take a year off from school and teach. Those two years at Emanuel Brown were great years for me. I loved the school and kids, and I was hooked from then on. I never went back to law school.”

Now that May has returned to his old position, Waller and Willingham have retreated back into the shadows to help run the school system away from public view.

They have some big priorities this year, mainly focusing on improving test scores and dealing with a tight budget.