Houston County schools search for new leader, position expected to start in June 2025

The Houston County School District is in search of a new leader, with current Superintendent Mark Scott set to retire at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

On Tuesday, school board members voted 7-0 to begin the district’s superintendent selection process with an internal and external job posting to be published by the school district’s human resources department on Friday.

Applications for the new superintendent role will close on Sept. 27, two weeks after the initial job posting, school officials said.

The start date for the leadership position is June 2, 2025.

Board members will use a rubric to narrow the pool of applicants and determine which potential candidates will be selected for an interview.

“That’s really where I think the difficult work for you all is going to be in evaluating the applications (and) making sure there’s continuity in there … making sure that the applicants meet the minimum qualifications based on experience,” Scott said at the meeting.

Scott also noted that the scoring rubric qualifications should be based off the board’s community surveys, including key stakeholder feedback.

Board member Lori Johnson advised the board to take thorough notes while meeting with students, teachers and administrations for community responses before it reconvenes at a later time to design the rubric.

Scott announced his retirement in July during the district’s opening ceremony at the beginning of the school year. He began his tenure as the HCSD superintendent in 2014.

“For over a decade, I’ve had the immense privilege of serving this incredible community. Together, we’ve faced challenges and celebrated successes and continuously strive to provide the best possible education for all students,” Scott said, pausing several times to wipe away tears. “Together, we’ve accomplished more than I ever imagined that we could.”