Dr. Jennifer Scott, the newly appointed Clarke County School District interim Superintendent, poses outside of Clarke Central High School on Feb. 6. Scott was voted into the position for the 2025-26 school year by the CCSD Board of Education at their May 8 meeting. “More information about the search process will be shared as it becomes available,” the CCSD stated in an April 24 press release. Photo by Wyatt Meyer
The CCSD announced that Dr. Jennifer Scott will assume the superintendent position on an interim basis for the 2025-26 school year.
The Clarke County School District Board of Education voted to approve Dr. Jennifer Scott’s appointment as interim superintendent for the 2025-26 school year at their May 8 meeting.
Scott, who served as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics and Student Support prior to this appointment, is relatively new to CCSD administration herself, having started as deputy superintendent in 2023 following four years as an Executive Director of Leadership Development. Nonetheless, she is a CCSD veteran, having started as a second grade teacher at Timothy Road Elementary School in 1998.
“I honestly never thought that I would be at a district office-level position or even a school-level position because I love the classroom and engaging with students at that level so much,” Scott said in a Feb. 6 interview with the ODYSSEY. “There were just things in me that other people saw as far as leadership that prompted me to consider leadership at the district level, and there was an opportunity for a position that spoke to my passions around education (about) making sure that every student had access to equitable opportunities within education.”
Scott spent four years as Timothy Road’s assistant principal and eight years as Barnett Shoals Elementary School’s principal before she transitioned to the district in 2019. The CCSD put forth her name for the interim superintendent position on April 24 after current superintendent Dr. Robbie P. Hooker’s abrupt retirement on March 31. The district will once again review applications for the position by June 30, 2026.
A juxtaposition depicts Clarke County School District Superintendent Dr. Robbie P. Hooker and Deputy Superintendent of Academics and Student Support Dr. Jennifer Scott speaking at the Sept. 6, 2023, Community Conversations event at Clarke Central High School’s E.B. Mell Auditorium. Scott will take over for Hooker as superintendent on July 1 on an interim basis. Photos from the ODYSSEY archives
Hooker, meanwhile, was recently announced as the inaugural Georgia State Director for the Bailey Education Group. Bailey is a for-profit educational organization that, according to its website, partners with “all schools and districts to improve the lives of all children through customized professional development and side-by-side teacher coaching.”
Hooker will join a group of five currently-serving state directors from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
“With 30+ years in public education-including time as Superintendent in Clarke County, and Social Circle, Dr. Hooker is a proven leader dedicated to student success and instructional excellence,” Bailey stated in a May 7 Facebook post. “Dr. Hooker will lead and expand our work across Georgia, partnering with districts to Improve the Lives of all Children in Georgia.”
