New Superintendent Will Focus On 'Sustained Excellence and Continuous Improvement'

The Oconee County Board of Education expects the leadership transition from John Jackson to Jason Branch to be "seamless," according to Chairman David Weeks.

The Oconee County Board of Education made the hire of Jason Branch official Monday with a quick, unanimous vote. Branch replaces Superintendent John Jackson, who is retiring at the end of the school year. "Dr. Jackson has done such a great job over the last three years as superintendent and really put our school system on the right track," Chairman David Weeks said following the meeting. "We'll have a seamless transition with Dr. Branch coming in." Since the announcement that he was the sole finalist for the position, it has been a busy two weeks for Branch. He went on a whirlwind, three-day tour of all 10 schools, meeting students, teachers and parents. "I've seen great kids, great people, great community." Branch said. "I'm excited to …

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Daily Dose: Information to Know As You Start Your Day

Oconee Today -- March 19

The school board is poised to approve the hire of Dr. Jason Branch. Meet the new superintendent at the Oconee County Civic Center this evening.

Weather: Plenty of sunshine is in the forecast.  The Weather Channel predicts high temperatures in the mid 80s.   Overnight lows are expected to be in the low 60s. Top things to know:

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Oconee School Board Names Only One Superintendent Finalist

Jason Branch, principal of South Forsyth High School in Forsyth County and a UGA grad, is picked.

After an extended executive session, the Oconee County School Board has named Jason Branch, principal of South Forsyth High School, as its sole final candidate to replace retiring Superintendent John Jackson. “We are very excited to introduce Dr. Branch,” said David Weeks, chairman of the board, said in a news release issued Monday. “The board was gratified to receive a significant response to the posting of the position, and there were some strong candidates. We believe we have found the right man at the right time for Oconee County Schools.” According to the release, Branch has worked in four Georgia school systems as a teacher, coach, and administrator. (See a PDF of his resume under his photo.) He sits on the Consortium for School …

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School Board Readies to Release Names of Superintendent Finalists

It's possible the announcement could come during a Monday Board meeting.

Six months following John Jackson's announcement that he will retire as superintendent at the end of the school year, the Oconee County Board of Education prepares to announce finalists for his replacement. The Board hired consultants with the Georgia School Boards Association in October to assist in the search and members of the community were asked to weigh in via an online survey. By the early January deadline, forty-nine hopefuls from at least 10 different states submitted applications and, in February, six were brought before the Board during two rounds of interviews, Chairman David Weeks said. The agenda for Monday's 5 p.m. Board work session lists "Superintendent Finalist(s)" under "Presentations and Discussions." Under the …

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More Applications Received for Oconee Superintendent Job

Forty-nine applications have been submitted to the Georgia School Boards Association so far, school officials say.

The open position of superintendent of Oconee County Schools is proving to be quite popular. At a school board meeting Monday, Chairman David Weeks reported the Georgia School Boards Association had received 33 applications from a wide range of applicants but more were expected to trickle in over the week. The Board of Education hired the GSBA to assist in the search after Superintendent John Jackson announced he will retire at the end of the school year. On Friday, Jackson included an update about the search in his weekly email.  He said the information came from Weeks. To date, 49 applications have been submitted, the largest number of applications for any vacancy since GSBA has been conducting searches for school boards,  GSBA officials…

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'Wide Spectrum' of Applicants Interested in Superintendent Position

More than 30 applicants from 10 states have submitted applications in hopes of being named the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools.

From current superintendents to area coordinators and even a chief executive officer, a "wide spectrum" of applicants is interested in the position of superintendent of Oconee County Schools, Chairman of the Board of Education David Weeks said at a meeting on Monday. As of last Friday, the Georgia School Boards Association, consultants the Board hired to assist in the search for John Jackson's replacement when he retires at the end of the current school year, had received 33 applications. Applications needed to be postmarked by Jan. 6, so the Board expects to receive a final count later this week, Weeks said. "They're giving the mail some time to trickle in those last couple of applicants," he said. Weeks said the GSBA has communicated …

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Applications Begin Trickling in for Superintendent of Oconee Schools

At a work session Monday, Oconee County Board of Education Chairman David Weeks gave an update about the search for a superintendent to replace John Jackson, who is retiring.

Six applicants hoping to be the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools have already submitted their paperwork. That's the latest information on the search for John Jackson's replacement, according to Oconee County Board of Education Chairman David Weeks. Jackson announced in September he will retire at the close of the school year. The vacancy is posted on the Georgia School Boards Association's website with instructions on how to apply. As of last week, the GSBA had received the six applications and many more are expected, especially near the end of the application process, Weeks said at a work session Monday. Wayne County saw a surge from 12 to 45 applications during the final week of its application process, Weeks said he was told…

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Online Survey About Next Superintendent Now Open

Members of the community can weigh in on the search for the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools.

An 8-question online survey that asks members of the community what qualifications they think the next superintendent of Oconee County Schools should possess is now open. On Thursday, a letter from David Weeks, chairman of the Oconee County Board of Education, and a link to the survey were emailed to parents, teachers, and other community members that subscribe to the school district's listserv. One month after Superintendent John Jackson announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2011-2012 school year, the Board contracted the Georgias School Boards Association to assist in the search. The Board established a timeline for the search last week and decided applications for the position will be accepted through Jan. 6, 2012. "Meantime, …

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School Board Establishes Timeline for Superintendent Search

The completion of the search is slated for mid-March.

If all goes as tentatively planned, Oconee County Schools will have a new superintendent by mid-March of 2012. Superintendent John Jackson announced in September he will retire at the close of the school year.  He made the announcement early in the year to give the Board sufficient time to secure a replacement, he said. Along with a newly contracted consultant from the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), the Oconee County Board of Education held a called meeting Wednesday to lay out the parameters of the search. The Board chose Chairman David Weeks to serve as the contact between the Board and the GSBA and agreed administrative assistant Deborah Epps would be the staff contact that would provide the GSBA with district information. …

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