Since Newton County School Superintendent Gary Mathews announced his plans to retire June 30, the Newton County Board of Education now has to decide how to move forward in the search for his replacement.

"I have not been advised about when the board members will be making any firm decisions about the next superintendent search," said Mathews. "However, I would imagine that they will be in discussions soon to deliberate about the process and timeline and share that information when it is appropriate to do so. As far as working with a new superintendent, that all depends upon the timeline for securing a new superintendent finally agreed-upon by the Board of Education. The sooner, I would say, the better opportunity we have for a smooth transition."

The board has three options for a search: they can search (1) internally, (2) through the Griffin Regional Educational Service Agency or (3)through the Georgia School Board Association. Neither organization replied for comment as of press time.

"Won't know a direction until we have our meeting on the 18th," said board Chairman Eddie Johnson. "That meeting is open to an array of things, and we'll decide at that meeting the direction things will be taking. We'll see how the board members feel about the different recommendations and concerns of others."

The search for the new superintendent is scheduled to be discussed at the combined Board of Education work session and meeting on Dec. 18.