The Oconee County Board of Education on Thursday afternoon officially approved a three-year employment contract for Melissa Butler as the new superintendent of Oconee County Schools.
The contract stipulates that Butler will begin as superintendent on Oct. 14 and will be paid an annual base salary of $221,500.
The contract runs through June 30 of 2028, with the condition that the Board must tell Butler on or before Aug. 31, 2027, whether the contract will be extended or renewed beyond June 30 of 2028.
Board of Education Chair Michael Ransom announced at a special session of the Board on Sept. 2 that Butler, who has served as Deputy/Assistant Superintendent at Catoosa County Public Schools since April of 2023, was the sole finalist for superintendent.
Ransom told the Board at the beginning of the meeting on Thursday that it had waited the legally required 14 calendar days after that announcement to allow for public comment. The Board then voted unanimously to hire Butler.
Following the vote Ransom introduced Butler to the audience of school administrators and community members who had gathered in the Board Room of the Instructional Support Center in Watkinsville.
“I believe in public education,” Butler said. “I believe it's important and educators are the glue that holds our society together. So I just can't wait to become a part of this community and this school system.”
Butler said in her initial 90 days she plans to visit each of the 12 schools in the system and that she expects to play a supportive role in the campaign for renewal of the Education Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) on the November ballot.
Contract Details
The contract stipulates that Butler will be paid the annual salary of $221,500 in monthly installments and will be entitled to receive across-the-board pay increases granted to certified employees during the time of the contract.
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| Butler 8/18/2025 |
The contract also states that the Board and Butler “may mutually agree to adjust the salary of the superintendent” during the three-year term of the contract but that Butler will not be paid less than $221,500 annually.
Ransom said in a text message on Thursday after the meeting that the $221,500 salary will be prorated for the first year of the contract since Butler will not be assuming her position until Oct. 14.
The contract stipulates that the district will pay Butler’s membership dues for professional associations and Board-approved civic clubs, a travel allowance of $750 per month, and for a cellular phone for official use,
The district also will pay Butler the employee share of health insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance premiums for a family plan.
According to the Open Georgia web site, Butler received $131,287 in salary and $4,039 in travel reimbursement in Fiscal Year 2024.
The base salary for Jason Branch, who stepped down after 13 years as superintendent of Oconee County Schools at the end of June, was $267,039 in his final contract for Fiscal Year 2025.
Butler’s Comments
“I'm so excited to have this opportunity to serve Oconee County Schools and the students here,” Butler said in her brief initial comments.
“Everyone has been so warm and welcoming so far,” she continued, “and I cannot wait to integrate my family into this community.”
Butler said she plans to move to Oconee County in the first week of October.
Butler said her daughter is a student at the University of Georgia, her son is a high school sophomore in Catoosa County, and her husband is a teacher.
She said she expects her son and husband to join her “in the spring semester at some point.”
Butler said she thinks the biggest challenge she will face in her new job is “getting to know everyone. I'm coming from outside the community.”
She said that Interim Superintendent Debra Harden and Ransom will handle most of the presentations in support of the ELOST referendum.
“I have already reviewed the materials,” she said, “and once I'm here after October 14th, I'd be happy to do some of those as well.”
Butler’s Resume
Butler earned her undergraduate degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2003 and began her career in August of 2003 as an English/Journalism teacher at Loganville High School in Walton County Public Schools.
She earned a master’s degree in Secondary English Education from Piedmont College in Demorest in 2005.
She moved to Catoosa County Public Schools in January of 2007, where she was sixth grade English Language Arts teacher at Heritage Middle School, a position she held until July of 2015.
Butler earned an Ed.S. degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Technological University in Cooksville, Tenn., in 2008, and her Ed.D. degree in Curriculum Instruction from Liberty University in 2013.
In July of 2015, Butler became assistant principle of Heritage Middle School, and in June of 2019 she moved up to be principal of Heritage Middle School.
In February of 2019, Butler became Director of Secondary Education for Catoosa County Public Schools, a position she continues to hold.
In April of 2023, Butler added the responsibility of Deputy/Assistant Superintendent for Catoosa County Public Schools.
Background On Search
Branch announced in April that he was retiring effective June 30 of this year.
Branch became chief operating officer/deputy executive director of the state Teachers Retirement System on July 1, 2025.
The Oconee County Board of Education on May 5 approved a contract with GLA of Folkston to help it find the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools.
On May 12 the Board appointed Harden to serve as interim superintendent until Dec. 31--or until a new superintendent is hired.
The deadline to apply was June 16.
According to Ransom, the Board received 19 applications for the superintendent position.
Video
The video below is of the brief meeting of the Board on Sept. 18 and is followed by Butler’s comments after her introduction by Ransom.
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