The Oconee County Board of Education has placed an opt-in questionnaire on the Oconee County Schools web site asking community members, parents, and students for their input on its search for a new superintendent.
All of the 32 items on the survey instrument are closed-ended, meaning there is no opportunity for participants to make any comments.
The first question asks respondents to classify themselves. Nonresidents of the county are included in the response options, and it will not be possible to separate them out in the analysis because of the way the categories are listed.
The remaining 31 questions asked respondents to indicate how important a series of characteristics of a new superintendent are to the respondents.
Included are such things as a “Willingness to make difficult decisions,” “Projects an image of professionalism and polish,” “Strong work ethic,” and “Knowledge and experience with student safety.”
The announcement of the survey indicates the Board is moving quickly in the search. An application deadline has been set for June 16.
A newly formed group called Community Works Oconee has scheduled its own listening session for 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (May 28) at the Community Center in Oconee Veterans Park, 3500 Hog Mountain Road, to get unstructured input from the community on the superintendent search.
Margaret Holt, a retired University of Georgia Adult Education professor, will moderate the session and ask participants what they are looking for in a new superintendent. Community Works Oconee says it will make a report to the School Board on what it learns.
Survey Announcement
The Oconee County Schools web site says that “The Oconee County Board of Education is actively engaged in the process of selecting a new Superintendent.”
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| Survey Introduction |
“As part of the selection process, the Board is launching an online survey to gather input,” the statement reads. “The Board strongly encourages all stakeholders to participate, as the feedback gathered will play a key role in guiding its decision.”
“Board members will carefully review all survey responses, and your input is valued and appreciated,” according to the statement.
The statement and the questionnaire were uploaded on May 21.
Superintendent Jason Branch announced his decision to retire on April 14, effective June 30.
The notice on the Oconee County Schools web site says that the Board began planning for the search on May 12. It approved a contract with search agency Georgia Leadership Associates of Folkston at its meeting on May 5.
“A vacancy notice was released on May 19,” according to the May 21 notice on the web site, “with an application deadline set for June 16.”
At its meeting on May 12, the Board appointed former Oconee County Schools Superintendent Debra Harden to be interim superintendent until Dec. 31 or until a new superintendent is hired.
Her contract calls for her to work 49 percent of the time.
Questionnaire Format
The top of the questionnaire, which is on SurveyMonkey, states that the Board is seeking input from community members, parents, and students “to help determine the most important qualifications of the next Superintendent of Schools.”
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| Question On Respondent |
The next question asks respondents to indicate “which of the following best describes you”?
Options include parents, guardian, or relative of an Oconee County student, Oconee County student, Oconee County School employee or employee’s relative, someone with “a business interests in or near Oconee County,” and “concerned citizen and/or resident of Oconee County or the surrounding area.”
No item asks simply if the respondent lives in Oconee County. The Board is strict in not allowing anyone who does not live in the county to speak at Board meetings and has prohibited business operators who do not live in the county from speaking.
Questions Asked
Respondents are told to answer each of the following questions as Very Important, Somewhat Important, Not Very Important, or Not a Consideration.
Respondents are asked if they think it is important that:
*The superintendent is honest-transparent
*Has an advanced degree in Education Administration
*Has experience and knowledge of school system finances and budget
*Likely to serve as Oconee County School Superintendent for an extended time
*Has high ethical and moral standards
*Is an excellent public speaker and communicator
*Has a high energy level *Experience in and/or knowledge of legal and personnel matters.
Three items might be seen as a statement of a preference for an internal versus an external candidates:
*Is familiar with the Oconee County School System
*Has experience in a school system(s) similar to Oconee County
*Has prior service and/or success as a school superintendent
Time Line
The Board has met in two closed sessions, for one hour on May 5 and for two hours on May 12, during which, according to Board Chair Michael Ransom, finding a replacement for Superintendent Branch was discussed.
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| Branch And Ransom 4/21/2025 |
Branch went into those sessions with the Board and returned to open meeting at the end of the session with the Board, but Ransom said Branch was not present during discussion of the next superintendent.
Branch did not return to the Boardroom while the Board held those executive sessions. The room behind the Boardroom used for executive sessions has an external entrance and exit in addition to the entrance to the Boardroom.
The contract that the Board signed with Georgia Leadership Associates indicated that the search would follow five phases.
The first phase includes “developing a leadership profile for the new superintendent” followed by “Plan with the Board surveys for public input.”
Phase 2 is the application and advertising process, followed by Phase 3, applicant evaluations, and Phase 4, assist the Board with interviews of the applicants.
The final phase is “Appointment of the Superintendent.”
“The Oconee County Board of Education will independently make the decision on who is hired to be the next superintendent,” the agreement states.
Listening Session
Community Works Oconee invited each of the five members of the Board of Education to join its session on Wednesday (May 28) at the Community Center in Oconee Veterans Park.
Ann Hollifield, who is organizing the session, said as of this post on May 27 she had heard from Board Members Brock Toole, Ryan Hammock, Adam Hammond, and Amy Parrish.
Toole said on May 27 he is in Florida on business but will try to make it to the session, Hollifield said.
Hammock, Hammond, and Parrish have said they have conflicts and will not attend, according to Hollifield
Hollified said she had not heard from Ransom and had emailed him again on Tuesday to ask again if he will attend. As of this post, she said she had not heard from him.
Hollifield said she asked Toole if he would summarize the status of the search process if he is able to attend and that Toole had agreed to do that.
Community Works Oconee is a nonpartisan outgrowth of the Oconee County Democratic Party, and Hollifield told the Democrats at their meeting on May 15 that the May 28 meeting “is going to be a listening session. We'll be taking notes.”
“All of this will be recorded and put into a report that is unedited and delivered to the School Board so that that feedback gets to them,” she said.
Moderator Holt will ask participants to state their expectations for the next superintendent in the public exchange, but Hollifield said there will be an opportunity to make anonymous comments as well.
(Hollifield is my wife.)
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