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Split board agrees to pursue GSBA for superintendent search after heated debate
Summary
After a lengthy work-session debate about continuity versus transparency, the Clarke County Board of Education authorized the president and vice president to negotiate with GSBA to run a superintendent search, citing the need for a structured, legally compliant process.
The Clarke County Board of Education voted Aug. 14 to authorize the board president and vice president to negotiate with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) to provide superintendent-search services.
The decision followed a lengthy work-session debate in which board members were sharply divided over whether to run the process internally or hire an outside firm. Supporters of using GSBA, including Doctor Patricia Yeager and Mister Tim Denson, argued the association offers structure, legal compliance and transparency: "We should not do [an internal search] again...We need to get someone with structure and frameworks," Yeager said. Denson added the search firm would be a facilitator and the board would set criteria and make the final hire.
Other members expressed concerns about continuity with the district’s existing five-year strategic plan. Mister Mark Evans and others warned that bringing in an outside consultant could result in a candidate proposing a substantially different plan and might disrupt progress the district has made under current leadership.
Board members repeatedly emphasized that hiring GSBA would not remove the board’s authority to set criteria or make the final selection. Miss Linda Davis said a search firm is a facilitator: "They do what we ask them to do...we set the criteria for what we are looking for in a superintendent." The chair proposed moving forward to initiate talks with GSBA so the matter could be voted on during the regular meeting.
At the regular meeting the board voted to authorize negotiations with GSBA; the chair said the vote authorized the president and vice president to finalize terms. No procurement specifics (contract dollar amounts or timeline for the national announcement) were given during the meeting; the board stated it would work with GSBA to set an announcement and application timeline if the contract is finalized.
The vote is procedural: a negotiated contract will return for formal approval as a business item at a future meeting, and an open search process would allow internal candidates to apply along with national applicants should the board and GSBA choose that route.
