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Muscogee County board approves several leadership appointments; names Tamara Magwood Central Region chief
Summary
The Muscogee County School Board on May 19 approved multiple leadership appointments — including Tamara Magwood as Central Region chief, a role the board and Magwood described as historic — and confirmed principals and senior administrators recommended by Superintendent Dr. Lewis.
The Muscogee County Board of Education on May 19 approved a slate of personnel appointments recommended by Superintendent Dr. Lewis, including the appointment of Tamara Magwood as Central Region chief and principals for Johnson Elementary and Blackmon Road Middle School.
The board approved the appointments during its May 19 meeting after motions and roll-call votes. The superintendent’s recommendations that passed included Tanya Sanders as principal at Johnson Elementary School, Garrett Church as principal at Blackmon Road Middle School, Jeff Battles as director of construction, Patrick Knopf as chief student services officer, and Tamara Magwood as Central Region chief.
Those approvals follow standard personnel procedures for the district. Board member Ms. Chambers moved the motion to appoint Tanya Sanders; Ms. Jackson seconded it. Ms. McCray noted during that vote that her electronic authentication briefly failed but that she intended to vote yes. The motions for other appointments were moved and seconded by various board members and were approved without recorded opposition.
Tanya Sanders, the new principal at Johnson Elementary School, thanked the board and her supporters and said she looked forward to “working with the students, faculty, and staff of the entire Johnson community.” Garrett Church, who will lead Blackmon Road Middle School, said he would focus on relationships and partnership-building and thanked mentors and family for their support.
Jeff Battles, named director of construction, framed his new role in facility terms: “Our work in construction is not just about buildings. It's about creating a safe, functional, inspiring space that supports student learning,” he said. Patrick Knopf, named chief student services officer, said he is “a proud product of the Muscogee County School District” and expressed eagerness to work with the student services team.
Tamara Magwood, who introduced a large group of supporters at the meeting, described her appointment as historic and spoke to priorities she will bring to the post. “I embrace this opportunity with clarity and conviction,” Magwood said, and pledged urgency on “student achievement, equity, and building sustainable systems that support every student.” She identified herself as a long-time district educator and said she would center work “on our students.”
All appointments took effect following the board’s vote; the meeting did not set additional effective dates in the public action record. The approvals add new school-level and central-office leadership ahead of the district’s upcoming end-of-school-year activities and summer planning.
Board members who moved or seconded the individual motions included Ms. Chambers, Ms. Jackson, Pat Frey, Mr. Cantrell and Ms. Buckner. Superintendent Dr. Lewis presided over the personnel agenda and introduced the recommendations.
The board’s action concluded the personnel portion of the meeting; appointees and their families were invited to be recognized on the dais immediately after each vote.
