The Bulloch County Board of Education has hired Richard Smith as interim superintendent of schools. 

According to a release from the school district, Board Chairman Elizabeth Williams made the announcement during the Board's work session Thursday. Smith, a retired educator and superintendent who is the executive director of the First District Regional Educational Service Agency, will start his new position April 1 – the day after the retirement of current superintendent Charles Wilson takes effect.

Wilson announced his retirement in October after 30 years of service in Bulloch County, 14 of which were as superintendent.
The Board's search for a new superintendent has completed its first two phases: a community survey was administered and the job application, which was advertised nationwide for six weeks, closed Feb 22. The Board will review the survey's analysis and results before reviewing the received applications, the release stated. 

The Georgia School Boards Association collected nearly 40 applications on behalf of the Board of Education, and it will deliver them during the week of March 9-12. 

The Board will then begin hosting first- and second-round interviews. They are tentatively scheduled to announce finalists in April and a final candidate in late May. Georgia law requires that at least 14 days before appointing a new superintendent, the Board must release to the news media information on as many as three candidates who are being considered.
At its Nov. 20 work session, the Board of Education voted to contract with the Georgia School Boards Association to conduct a nationwide search for a new superintendent and provide support to the Board through the selection process.