Tim Schmitt has been hired as the Newton County School System’s new Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Coordinator.
Schmitt replaced James Woodard, who held the first and dual role of NCSS CTAE director and Newton College and Career Academy (NCCA) principal/CEO before vacating the positions to become superintendent for the Morgan County Charter School System. The principal/CEO position had already been filled by Chad Walker, who moved to Newton County from Rockdale Career Academy.
“I am very excited to be joining NCSS,” Schmitt said. “My predecessor, Mr. Woodard, has done an outstanding job, along with the CTAE teachers and staff throughout the county, of setting a positive direction for (CTAE) in Newton County. I’m honored to have been chosen to help continue that work.”
Schmitt is leaving DeKalb County Schools, where he has served as career and technical education instructional coordinator since March 2011. He previously worked for the Clayton County School System as the CTAE school improvement specialist.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology education from the University of Georgia, a Master’s degree in school counseling from the University of West Alabama and an education specialist degree in education administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. He is currently working on his doctorate in workforce education at the University of Georgia.
“I look forward to capitalizing on Mr. Schmitt’s experiences in the world of CTAE,” said NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “His expertise will be instrumental to the ongoing expansion of meaningful, relevant educational experiences that connect academic lessons to real-world application.”
Schmitt’s CTAE experiences date back to his own high school years.
“I have spent my entire educational career in CTAE and feel strongly that it is an important piece of the puzzle for student success,” Schmitt said. “My interest in CTAE actually began as a high school student, where I discovered our business education and engineering and technology programs. I was able to graduate with five high school courses in those programs and entered UGA with those experiences having made a significant impression on me. Within my first year of college, I made the decision to become an engineering and technology teacher, and I’ve never looked back.
“CTAE provides students with meaningful connections between academic content and real-world applications. The future workforce needs of Newton County, the state of Georgia and the United States will require employees to be able to produce, perform, create and communicate in a globally competitive environment. The types of 21st century skills needed to do that have always been a focus of CTAE, and that connection continues to grow stronger as new standards and initiatives are rolled out. It’s this connection, along with the opportunities for students to engage in leadership development through their co-curricular student organizations like CTI, DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA and TSA that interests me most about CTAE. Once students experience this type of engagement, they are more likely to stay in school, pursue their interests and achieve in areas that once thought may not be possible.”
Schmitt’s expected first day of work is Tuesday, Sept. 2.
