Newton County School Superintendent Gary Mathews is being courted by several parties in Louisiana to return to his home state and apply for the position of state superintendent.

According to a statement released today from Mathews, he has not officially applied for that position.

"I am naturally flattered by the numerous parties back in my home state who have encouraged such an application on my part. Having served six years as the Baton Rouge superintendent where we accomplished some significant things against formidable odds, I am certainly subject to the discussion now underway in Louisiana."

He continued, "I am very pleased to be in NCSS where I believe we are on the right track towards improving student learning. Current preliminary results from Georgia assessments suggest we may be on that right track sooner than later. We're optimistic."

Mathews, who took over as county superintendent when Steve Whatley retired last year, said that he had shared the discussion in the Louisiana media regarding his name being mentioned for the state superintendent's position with board members earlier this week.