Dr. Malinda Cobb and Dr. Keith Simmons have been named as the Richmond County school district’s final candidates for its new superintendent, the Richmond County Board of Education (RCBOE) announced Tuesday evening.
The board worked in partnership with the Georgia School Boards Association to establish selection criteria, reviewing the resumes of 35 candidates before reaching a shortlist of six contenders, all of whom the school board interviewed.
The notice came after a lengthy meeting that began at 4 p.m. with the school board’s committee meeting, followed by its regular board meeting a little after 6 p.m. After board members returned from a roughly hour-long executive session, school board president Shawnda Stovall delivered remarks about the RCBOE’s deliberation, noting that while the candidate search has been prolonged amid disagreements, the board members strove to make selection in the best interest of the district’s students.
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“These finalists reflect the qualities, experience, and leadership we believe are needed to move our school system forward,” said Shawnda Stovall, president of the Richmond County Board of Education. “Our Board has been thoughtful and diligent throughout this process, and we look forward to announcing our new superintendent following our final vote on Aug. 12.”
Cobb, formerly the district’s associate superintendent, was installed as its interim superintendent in December after the resignation of Kenneth Bradshaw.
Simmons, who is currently a part-time instructor of educational leadership at the University of Georgia, was superintendent of the Griffin-Spalding County School System before resigning in May of this year. Before that, he served as chief of staff of the Bibb County, Ga. school district, and as principal of Griffin High School in Griffin, Ga., and of the Monroe County Achievement Center in Forsyth, Ga.
During the regular meeting’s public participation portion, Ethoin Rowe, who has served as a counselor in the district and on the RCBOE’s advisory board, urged the board select Cobb, saying that the district has “not missed a beat” since she became interim superintendent.
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Earlier in the evening, Stovall addressed the board and attendees regarding the renewal of RCBOE’s strategic waiver contract with the state board of education. This allows school systems to receive waivers from certain state laws and rules in exchange for being held to a higher standard of accountability.
The Richmond County school system had applied to renew a six-year contract during the 2023-2024 school year, to begin in the 2024-2025 school year. The state board, however, only approved a one-year extension. The sitting board at the time, under Superintendent Bradshaw, contested this, Stovall said, because of the progress the district had made, and so the matter lingered for another school year.
“Why do you think we got that one year extension? I submit to you because we do not have a fully supported superintendent yet,” said Rowe to the board members.
Rowe’s comments were countered, however, by Rev. Anthony Booker, who encouraged board members to select a superintendent outside of the school system’s administration.
“We’re doing much better than we did prior to COVID, but we still believe that we need to go with someone who who’s willing to take chances, someone that’s going to be a transformative leader,” said Booker, who spoke before the board, he said, on behalf of the Baptist Ministers Conference, a multi-denominational body of local faith leaders.
To view the resumes of both finalists, visit https://www.rcboe.org/boe.
The board is slated to make its final vote for superintendent in 14 calendar days, per state law.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
