Should Superintendent of Schools be an Elected Position?

Commission Chairman J.C. Sanford called for a return to voter elected school superintendents at the Gilmer County Tea Party Wednesday night. During the public speaks part of the program, he said he’d like to see the state

“go back to electing the school superintendent, rather than the board appointing someone.”

He also argued superintendents should reside in the county where they work. The Chairman is referring to the election process prior to 1992. Before 1992/93, voters had the option of electing their superintendents. Then, in November 1992, a constitutional amendment passed the Georgia Assembly requiring an elected school board to appoint superintendents. This means that voters lost power to elect superintendents of their schools, transferring power from the people to the school boards.
In a recent Times-Georgian article, Rep. David Casas (R-Lilburn), a former educator, said he

“believes the appointment process has allowed superintendents to be unaccountable to the people.”

Casas continued,

“We hold the school boards accountable, obviously, because they are elected…We wanted to make sure that the superintendents understood that they had to stay accountable to the system.”

The Chairman’s comment seemed to mirror Casas’ sentiment.
As Sanford walked away from the microphone Wednesday night, his comments were received by a round of applause from the group, who all seemed to agree with his words.

County Commission Chairman JC Sanford says the position of Superintendent of schools should be an elected position from Fetch on Vimeo.