The Bulloch County Board of Education, in closed-door sessions held away from the board's central offices, recently narrowed a list of 37 applicants for the job of county school superintendent down to 10 and is at least working toward scheduling interviews with finalists. 

In the process, the board members are meeting more often than usual, apparently five times in two weeks.

First, there was a special called meeting the evening of Monday, March 23, in the Averitt Room at First Baptist Church, Statesboro.

The Statesboro Herald received a notice, and the March 23 agenda looked like this: "A. Call to Order; B. Executive Session-Superintendent Search; C. Return to Open Session; D. Adjournment," underneath this statement: "Please note: The Executive Session portion of the meeting is closed to the public."

Second, the board held its public "work session" second regular meeting of the month at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in the usual meeting room at the William James Educational Complex, 150 Williams Road. Board, staff and community members had held a retirement reception for Superintendent Charles Wilson at the complex immediately before the board's previous regular meeting on March 12, recognizing his 30 years of service with the school district, including 14 as superintendent. 

However, Wilson, who noted at that meeting that it was next-to-last of his tenure, did not attend the March 26 meeting because he was on medical leave. Board Chair Elizabeth Williams, the member from District 2, was also away, so Vice Chair Maurice Hill, the member from District 8, presided. Wilson was recovering after recent minor surgery, Hill said.

A presentation of fiscal year 2027 budget projections by Chief Financial Officer Alison Boatright, who also retired effective March 31, was a major feature of the meeting. Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement Teresa Phillips later requested approval of the usual personnel actions and contracts "in the absence of the superintendent," and the vote was 7-0. No "executive," or closed-door, session was held as part of the regular meeting.

Narrowing the list

But third and fourth, two additional "called special sessions," all or mostly closed-door executive sessions, were slated for Monday, March 30, and Thursday, April 2. The agendas were identical to the one for the March 23 special session, but a different location was chosen and the meetings scheduled early in the afternoon. In fact, both were to start at 1 p.m. on those dates in the Magnolia Room of the Jack Hill Building at Ogeechee Technical College.

As it turns out, the board did not begin interviewing applicants for the superintendent job during the March 23 session at First Baptist. Instead, the board members had received access to the 37 applications and resumes forwarded by the Georgia School Boards Association, or GSBA, search team, but reportedly only board members attended the session.

"We haven't started any interviews yet," Hill said last week. "We have gone through the resumes and are down to our 10. We will be looking at that this week and getting ready to line up interviews."

Whether the board was ready to interview any candidates, or perhaps phone them, Monday and Thursday from the Jack Hill Building wasn't revealed in his remarks.

Twice on Thursday

But the board appeared set to have two meetings in two different places in one afternoon and evening Thursday, April 2. After the 1 p.m. called special session in that location at Ogeechee Tech, the board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the William James Educational Complex on Williams Road.

That would be its fifth meeting in two weeks.

By then, an interim superintendent should be on the job, since the board in February hired Richard Smith, a retired superintendent who is executive director of the First District Regional Educational Service Agency, to take on the interim role beginning Wednesday, April 1. It's a part-time assignment, as he is also retaining his role with RESA.

But Phillips, the assistant superintendent, is expected to deliver further information for the budget discussion Thursday evening, Boatright said last week.