The agreement the Oconee County Board of Education has signed with Georgia Leadership Associates (GLA) lists a wide range of services that the Folkston company will provide to help the Board select the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools.
The contract lists phases of the search, beginning with meeting with the Board to explain the search process, establishing time lines, developing a leadership profile for the superintendent, and then planning surveys to get public input.
GLA will advertise the position, recruit applications, check references of applicants, and “assist the Board in rating and selecting applicants for interviews.”
The search agency also will schedule and assist the Board in conducting interviews, and plan and assist with any site visits.
Finally, GLA will announce finalists and provide information to the media, notify the successful candidate, tell the unsuccessful applicants they are no longer under consider, and finalize contract negotiations.
These terms are spelled out in an Exhibit to the Consulting Agreement approved by the Board at its meeting on Monday (May 5). Oconee County Schools made the Agreement public on Tuesday and released the Exhibit in response to a request on Thursday.
“The Oconee County Board of Education will independently make the decision on who is hired to be the next superintendent,” the Exhibit stipulates.
Also on Tuesday, Oconee County Schools released the personnel recommendations approved by the Board on Monday evening showing separations for two teachers, a paraprofessional, and a school nurse at Oconee County Elementary School, where parents have said staff have expressed complaints about possible mold.
On Friday, a new group called Community Works Oconee announced that it plans to organize a forum as an independent way for the community to provide input on the search for the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools.
Search Leaders
The Exhibit to the Consulting Agreement list Allen McCannon and Wes Taylor as search leaders for the Oconee County Board of Education.
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| GLA Materials (Click To Enlarge) |
McCannon is former superintendent of Madison County Schools, which is part of the Northeast Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, a 13-school-system organization of which Oconee County Schools is a part.
Taylor is a former superintendent of Lowndes County Schools. Lowndes County is on the Georgia/Florida Border and includes Valdosta.
Madison County Schools had an enrollment of 5,165 on Oct. 1 of last year. Lowndes County Schools had an enrollment of 10,618 on that date. Oconee County School enrollment was 8,474 last October.
After the meeting on Monday, Oconee County School Board Chair Michael Ransom said that he expects representatives of GLA to join the Board on Monday in executive session to begin the search process. Superintendent Jason Branch is retiring effective June 30.
McCannon and Taylor are listed as two of the 14 members of the GLA Leadership Team on the GLA web site.
The contract states that the Board of Education will pay GLA a “search fee” of $8,000, needed travel and lodging expenses for in-person meetings with the Board, and fees for printing and postage.
Contract Details
The consulting agreement is effective May 5, the date it was approved by the Board.
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| Ransom 3/3/2025 |
“Consultant, as an independent contractor, shall perform professional services with respect to the Search as set forth in the PowerPoint presentation attached hereto as Exhibit ‘A’ and made a part hereof by reference,” the agreement states.
The Exhibit A says that GLA can “Assist the Board in developing a leadership profile for a new superintendent,” solicit nominations, assist “in reviewing applicant materials and rating applicants,” and “Assist the Board in ranking candidates and selecting finalists.”
GLA also can “Assist the Board with public input, including surveys,” and “As requested, provide information for the media.”
GLA is requiring the Board to designate a member “to serve as a liaison and point of communication with staff from GLA.”
Community Works Oconee
Harold Thompson, chair of the Oconee County Democratic Committee, announced on Friday (May 9) that the Committee was “forming an initiative, separate from the Committee, that could partner with local, civic, church, school or other groups to seek opportunities that would strengthen our community.”
Oconee County Democrats discussed formation of a Community Works Committee at its meeting in March.
Thompson said on Friday that a forum on the OCS Superintendent search is the first project Community Works Oconee plans to launch.
Ann Hollifield, who is spearheading what she called a "listening forum," said it tentatively is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. May 28 at the Community Center in Oconee Veterans Park.
The goal is to give citizens in the community a chance to say what they want in the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools and identify the most important priorities for the next administration, she said.
Margaret Holt, a retired University of Georgia Adult Education professor, will moderate, according to Hollifield.
Holt has extensive experience moderating the National Issues Forum, a non-partisan, nationwide network of civic, educational, and other organizations and individuals interested in promoting public deliberation.
Hollifield said members of the School Board will be invited to attend and that all comments from citizens will be forwarded to Board members after the event.
(Hollifield is my wife.)
Separations
In its executive session following its meeting on May 5, the Board of Education approved the separations of paraprofessional Brady Durham, teachers Carden Faber and Keri Halleck, and School Nurse Laurie Lewis, effective at the end of this month.
All are identified as working at Oconee County Elementary School. The Board approved a total of 12 separations.
Parents of students at Oconee County Elementary School sent the Board on April 4 a petition signed by 72 parents about the possibility of mold in the school.
“It has come to our attention that teachers and staff have raised serious concerns about the potential presence of mold in the school building,” the petition reads. “These concerns are supported by reports of health issues among staff, which could be linked to mold exposure,” it continues.
At its meeting on April 21, Mandy Moreira, Parent Teacher Organization president at Oconee County Elementary School, read that petition to the Board. She said that the possible problem of mold is in the school gymnasium and in a detached Third Grade teaching pod.
When the Board did not respond to that presentation, Moreira and Kara Fresk launched a second petition.
“Concerns have been raised by school staff about the potential presence of mold in the building--concerns that are reinforced by reports of health symptoms among teachers,” according to the second petition.
The first petition asked the Board to “conduct professional mold testing in the school building before flooring is replaced,” and the second petition said “we are ready to help raise or contribute the necessary resources to ensure professional, independent mold testing takes place before any construction begins.”
Moreira did not link any of the four separations to the complaints about mold, but she did say that Halleck and Durham are physical education teachers and that Faber is a Third Grade teacher in the outside pod.
2 comments:
The public should have input on the selection of the next Superintendent. The new Superintendent will obviously come rom another Superintendent position . There will no doubt be many applicants. Oconee County is a very desirable place to live. Hopefully, the BOE will take into consideration a candidate with a track record of transparency. Many changes need to be made at the BOE. That being said, clearly the majority of parents with students in OCS are very happy. It is greatly concerning that apparently three employees have been terminated because of their concerns of safety at Oconee ES. If I am understanding this report correctly.
Pam, "Separation" is the term OCS uses for an employee leaving the system. It does not mean termination. Thanks for raising this question.
Lee
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