Coffee County board names 2026 chair, approves consent agenda and recognizes students and staff

The Coffee County Board of Education on Feb. 14 appointed Mister Jowers as board chair for 2026, approved its consent agenda and accepted personnel recommendations, and spent a portion of the meeting recognizing student achievement and long-serving staff.

Board members voted to confirm the agenda at the start of the meeting and later approved a consent package that included a surplus-property auction at the former Westgreen building and a set of technology and facilities purchases reviewed at the board's work session. The purchases listed by staff included LED lighting for the George Washington freshman campus, wide-area network/ATC fiber upgrades, new data-center servers and related switches, E-rate licenses for FY2026 and traffic-monitoring equipment planned for Coffee High School and George Washington Carver. The board also approved personnel recommendations presented in the work session, and no executive session was requested.

The meeting featured several recognitions. Staff introduced recipients of the REACH scholarship — Andrea Delgado, Juan Garcia, Ally Kirkland, Zane Rodriguez, Snice Staple and Alani Taylor — describing REACH as a Georgia Student Finance Authority–administered program that identifies promising eighth-grade students from low-income families, provides coaching and mentoring and can provide up to $10,000 toward college or technical training. Staff asked the community to recruit mentors for scholars, noting mentors typically check in twice a month.

The board also highlighted Coffee High School’s NJROTC program after an annual review by Area 10 leadership. The board reported that Area Commander Jonathan Shaw, who has reviewed hundreds of programs, told attendees he believed Coffee County’s NJROTC is “one of the best in the country.” Board members praised the cadets and local leadership for the recognition.

Coffee High School senior Reggie Bell, who served on the Georgia School Boards Association Student Advisory Committee, told the board the statewide conference was "an honorable experience" and urged more student participation in advisory councils. Coaches and program staff recognized regional athletic achievements across fall and winter sports and highlighted state-level competition and booster-club support for year-round training.

The board presented a service recognition to Robin Knight for roughly three decades of service to the Coffee County School System. Staff noted Knight’s roles dating to 1995, with responsibilities including work in schools and service as superintendent's secretary since 2009; the district presented a small token of appreciation.

Procedurally, the meeting proceeded without an executive session. Motions recorded in the public proceedings included the adoption of the agenda (moved by Miss Johnson; seconded by Mister Wade), appointment of Mister Jowers as chair (nominated by the current chair and approved by voice vote), acceptance of the consent agenda (moved by Mister Wade; seconded by Miss Chalmers) and approval of personnel recommendations (mover/second not specified in the public record). The board did not publish roll-call vote tallies in the transcript; minutes or official board records should be consulted for the formal votecounts and any additional documentation related to the approved purchases or personnel actions.

The meeting closed after the board completed the listed business and recognitions; follow-up items noted by staff included the Feb. 14 surplus auction and continuing mentor recruitment for REACH scholars.