Dooly County swears in new school board

A whole new Dooly County school board was sworn in Friday at the courthouse. The five new faces replace incumbent members suspended by Gov. Nathan Deal in November after a recommendation from the state Board of Education.

The school district had received low grades on state reports for three consecutive years, and school governance and leadership issues were also cited in the decision.

Members sworn in were Thomas Mason Jr., District 2; Wanda Parker-Jackson, District 3; and Michael Bowens, District 4, all appointed by the state as replacements. Cory Jones and Katrice Taylor, who won the May election, were sworn in as the representatives of Districts 1 and 5, respectively.

This story was originally published January 14, 2017 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Dooly County swears in new school board."