Clarke County board approves GSBA contract to run superintendent search

The Clarke County School District board voted to hire the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) to manage the district’s superintendent search, approving the contract during the board’s regular September meeting.

Mark Evans, a board member who led the work-session briefing, said the timeline starts with signing the contract in October, GSBA meeting with stakeholders in December, a statewide call for resumes in January that remains open about six weeks, candidate screening through spring, interviews in March and a selection in April. "They know us. We know them," Evans said, endorsing the choice of GSBA as familiar and cost-effective.

The board discussed access to applicants and how the screening process would work. Evans and other board members said GSBA will provide the board with all application materials and use a rubric to score applicants but that the board itself will retain the final decision. At the work session one member asked whether screening is optional for the board; the presenters clarified the board would have access to all materials and could review any number of candidates.

A motion to approve the GSBA contract was made by Mark Evans and seconded by Dr. Patricia Yeager. The motion passed with a majority and at least one dissenting vote; the chair announced the motion carried and the contract is scheduled to be finalized in October so GSBA can begin stakeholder engagements in December.

The board also asked members to complete an internal survey, which GSBA will use to draft selection criteria and a rubric. The district plans outreach to community stakeholders during the December visit and anticipates finalist interviews and board deliberation in spring, followed by a potential April selection and transition planning.

Next steps: the contract will be executed in October and GSBA is expected to present a fuller timeline and stakeholder engagement plan at the board’s October meeting.