Clarke County School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott stands in the Clarke Central High School Media Center Courtyard on Feb. 6. The CCSD Board of Education approved a negotiation with the Georgia School Boards Association to help with its search for a new Superintendent of Schools at their Aug. 14 meeting. “(GSBA gets) advice from the community, so they have an idea of what the community wants and what they need,” BOE President Dr. Mumbi Anderson said. “As (GSBA goes) through the (application) screenings, they’re able to tease out the best (Superintendent of Schools) candidates based on the feedback that they’ve received.” Photo by Wyatt Meyer
The CCSD Board of Education approved the decision to negotiate with the Georgia School Boards Association to look for a new superintendent at their Aug. 14 meeting.
Following former Clarke County School District Superintendent Dr. Robbie P. Hooker’s retirement, effective June 30, Dr. Jennifer Scott was appointed to serve as the Interim Superintendent for the 2025-26 school year. As she begins her interim tenure, the CCSD Board of Education will continue its search for a long-term Superintendent of Schools.
To facilitate the process, BOE President Dr. Mumbi Anderson and Vice President Mark Evans were authorized to begin negotiations with the Georgia School Board Association at their Aug. 14 meeting held in the CCSD BOE Administrative Offices, located at 595 Prince Ave. GSBA is an organization geared toward supporting school boards through services, including risk management and board development.
“GSBA seemed like the most safe (search firm) option, because they understand the landscape of all of the different politics of (Georgia) when it comes to school boards and school districts,” Anderson said. “We’ve had a really wonderful partnership with GSBA as a school district for many years.”
A PDF of a Clarke County School District Board of Education press release detailing the agenda of its Aug. 14 meeting, released on Aug. 11, is shown. CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott delivered the Superintendent Report at the Aug. 14 meeting, speaking about the start of the 2025-26 school year. “Clarke County has been my professional home now for a very long time,” Scott said. “I’m truly committed to doing the work that’s necessary to support the continuous growth of all the students in our school district, and I want to see our school district be successful.” PDF courtesy of the CCSD
During the negotiations, Anderson and Evans will outline a contract for how GSBA will support the BOE in the search over the next year, including focus groups and other community assessments. Anderson believes that involving the GSBA will make the superintendent search more transparent to community members.
“Hiring (GSBA) to take on that load and insert objectivity, so that they’re giving (the BOE) their thoughts on the candidates that would be the best fit based on what they’ve heard, (which could) be very beneficial and very valuable,” Anderson said.
A video shows the Clarke County School District of Education members discussing agenda items at the Aug. 14 meeting. The movement to authorize the BOE president and vice president to negotiate with GSBA was passed in a 6-1 decision, with District Five CCSD BOE representative Tim Denson in favor of approving the authorization. “(GSBA) showed that they are very competent and understand Georgia laws around selecting a superintendent and ensuring that we do it in a transparent way,” Denson said in the meeting. “I’m excited about ensuring that we select a great candidate.” Video by Emlyn McKinney
The contract that the BOE and GSBA agree on will also detail the organization’s role in the application screening process, which Scott said all applicants would engage with, including herself.
“I would have to follow the application procedures and processes as supported by GSBA,” Scott said. “I would simply be a candidate, so there’s nothing that says that I automatically roll into that position (because I’m) serving as Interim (Superintendent).”
“GSBA seemed like the most safe (search firm) option, because they do understand the landscape of all of the different politics of (Georgia) when it comes to school boards and school districts,”
However, before the GSBA and BOE start their superintendent application process, Scott looks forward to carrying out her duties as the Interim Superintendent for the 2025-26 school year.
“I’ve been with the school district for 27 years now, and serving as Deputy Superintendent with Dr. Hooker positioned me well to transition into this position and continue to move the district towards excellence and (elevate) the work that (the BOE has) been doing,” Scott said. “Sitting in this position, it truly is exciting. It feels very fulfilling.”
