At the March 14, 2023, work session meeting, the Newton County Board of Education (BOE) approved by 5-0 unanimous vote, a contract with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) to conduct a search for the district’s next Superintendent of Schools, as current superintendent, Samantha Fuhrey, announced her retirement effective June 30, 2023. Dr. Sam King, Director of Board Development and Superintendent Search Service for GSBA will lead the search. He serves as a Director on the GSBA Executive Team.
According to Newton County Board of Education chair, Mrs. Shakila Henderson Baker, the contract entails numerous duties required of GSBA.
“GSBA will conduct the search, solicit and process applications, perform screenings of candidates, and receive recommendations and evaluations of candidates,” she explained. “They will also submit a report to our local school board with respect to determining those candidates appropriate for consideration.”
She added, “They will also work in consultation with our board to establish a timetable and assist us with determining selection criteria for our next superintendent. When the time comes, GSBA will also process applications and arrange for interviews of potential candidates.”
First, the Newton BOE will work together with GSBA to determine their desired expectations, background, and qualifications for the next school superintendent.
Henderson-Baker noted that the BOE will strive to keep the Newton County community apprised throughout the process, to the extent possible under Georgia law.
“We, as a board, have elected to be as transparent as possible with the community regarding the process for hiring our next superintendent,” said Mrs. Henderson-Baker. “Because hiring is an executive session function, there will be certain things we cannot release. But when we can release information, we will most definitely remain transparent to the community.”