Rahul Bali
,
Meimei Xu
| WABE
February 10th, 2025
A group of powerful Georgia state lawmakers have rolled out a plan that shifts the state school superintendent from being elected by Georgia voters to being appointed by members of the Georgia State Board of Education.
If passed, House Resolution 174 would appear on the ballot for Georgians in 2026 as a proposed state constitutional amendment.
The amendment would give members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate of a congressional district the power to vote on State Board of Education members of the same congressional district, if approved by the voters. Then, those board members would appoint the state school superintendent.
Currently, the governor appoints board members. Gov. Brian Kemp’s office did not comment on this resolution.
Republican State Rep. Matt Dubnik of Gainesville, chair of the Appropriations Education Subcommittee, introduced House Resolution 174 on Wednesday, Feb. 5. House Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones and House Education Committee Chair Chris Erwin, both Republicans, have also signed onto his proposal.
Should it pass, the amendment would allow current State Board of Education members in office as of Dec. 31, 2026, to serve out their term. Voters would still be able to elect the next state school superintendent in 2026, but the new appointment system would be effective after that individual leaves office, or on Jan. 1, 2031.
Dubnik said he believes the state school board should pick the state superintendent like local school boards pick their superintendents.
“We elect our local school board members, who then recruit and hire and appoint the local school superintendent,” he said. “It works for all 180 school districts that way, and it gives the governing authority to that local school board.”
He added that this system aligns the priorities of the superintendent with those of the education board.
“Think of the the local school superintendent as the CEO working at the discretion of the board, and so there’s a clear delineation of who’s in charge and the direction that local educational entity is going,” Dubnik said. “Well, it’s the opposite at the state level and so we’re trying to bring this in line with what we do in all 180 local school districts.”
Moreover, the senator said the amendment would allow the state board members to conduct a search for candidates.
“With no disrespect to anyone who’s ever been our state school superintendent, but the people of Georgia are at the mercy of who’s willing to to run for that office. This allows us at the state level to go on a worldwide global search to go get the the best possible state school superintendent.”
In a statement to WABE, current State School Superintendent Richard Woods said the right to elect the state superintendent should not be taken away from Georgians.
“Georgia parents, educators, business leaders, and taxpayers expect to have a direct way to weigh in on the state’s educational priorities, issues, quality, and direction,” he said.
