Cagle named interim superintendent
Kim Cagle
The search for Gilmer County’s next superintendent is under way.
The Gilmer County Board of Education unanimously approved to hire the search firm King-Cooper and Associates last Thursday to assist in the process.
King-Cooper aided the search for current superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs back in 2015.
Dr. Sandy Addis of King-Cooper delivered a 30-minute sales pitch three days prior at the board’s work session outlining the firm’s credentials and explaining their role.
“The selection of the superintendent is without a doubt the most important single decision that school boards make,” Addis said. “This is serious work of selecting a superintendent.
“In a district like this, this size, until you get up into the mega districts, these are skilled positions. A lot of people think they are political positions. They have a political component because the superintendent has to interface with all the political entities. The superintendency of a district in anything short of 80,000 to a 100,000 students is a highly-skilled position.”
King-Cooper assists roughly a dozen superintendent searches in Georgia on a yearly basis. Addis and partner Frank King have both individually assisted more than 25 searches.
“We will not tell you who to interview or who to hire. That is not our decision,” Addis said. “We will work with you to develop a profile. We will determine for you through questionnaires and conversations, a profile of what you say you want. We’ll take the applications and match them to that profile. We’ll show them all to you, and you can interview anyone you want, and you should. We don’t tell you who to interview.”
Addis added, “We sure as heck aren’t going to tell you who to hire. Again, that’s your call, not ours.”
King-Cooper will assist the board through every step of the hiring process. Addis proposed a fee of $10,000 for their services plus additional expenses, which he recommend capping at $2,000.
“If you’re not satisfied with the search process — not the decision, that’s yours — if you’re not satisfied with the search process, then we don’t want any money from you. No satisfaction, no fee. Frank and I are both retired, and we don’t do it for the money. We do it because we enjoy school work.”
The board decided to accept applications for the position until May 21, according to a district press release. It also noted, “The vacancy will be advertised by electronic postings on the school system website, the search firm’s website, and on the websites of the Georgia School Superintendents Association and the Georgia School Boards Association.
“Additionally, the search firm will mail notices of the vacancy to all school districts and Regional Educational Service Agencies in the state.”
Cagle named interim
At last Thursday’s regular board meeting, chairman Ronald Watkins nominated Kim Cagle to serve as interim superintendent following a brief executive session. The nomination received a second and passed unanimously.
Cagle will serve as interim from June 1 through Aug. 31 while the board searches for a permanent replacement.
“I believe the board’s selection of Mrs. Kim Cagle as interim superintendent will allow for a very smooth transition and help the district maintain continuity of progress and programs,” Downs stated in the press release. “I feel very comforted to know that I am leaving the district in such capable hands.”