Newton County Board of Education members, Almond Turner, Eddie Johnson, and Trey Bailey were sworn in by Superior Court Judge Samuel Ozburn on January 4 to begin their new terms of office. All three were reelected in the November 2016 general election.

Mr. Almond Turner-Chair and District 4 Representative

Mr. Almond Turner will begin his sixth term on the Newton County Board of Education, having originally been elected in 1996 and then reelected in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and again in 2016. He is the District 4 representative and also currently serves as chair of the Newton County Board of Education. A Newton County native, Mr. Turner is a 1968 graduate of R.L. Cousins High School. He attended Fort Valley State College as a music major and later received his bachelors degree in criminal justice from Troy University. He recently retired from the Covington Police Department after 45 years of service. He had served as Assistant Chief of Police since 1997.

Mr. Eddie Johnson-Vice-Chair and District 2 Representative 

Mr. Eddie Johnson will begin his third term on the Newton County Board of Education. Mr. Johnson is a native of Leesburg, Georgia, and graduate of Albany State University. He is also a U.S. Army veteran and retired as a senior project manager from AT&T.  Mr. Johnson and his family moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Covington, Georgia in 1991. He drove a school bus for the Newton County School System until he was elected to the school board in November 2008. He was reelected in 2012 and again in November 2016.

Mr. Trey Bailey-District 1 Representative

Mr. Trey Bailey was appointed by the Newton County Board of Education on March 15, 2016 to replace District One representative, Mr. Stan Edwards after he resigned to run for Board of Commission District One. Mr. Bailey ran unopposed in the general election in November 2016 and will continue fulfilling the remainder of that term. A native of Newton County and graduate of Newton County High School, Mr. Bailey currently serves as the Executive Pastor at Eastridge Community Church. He is a graduate of Mercer University.

“Congratulations to Mr. Turner, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Bailey as they begin the new terms,” Samantha Fuhrey, superintendent of Newton County School System, said. “I appreciate the hard work and commitment of our board members; the work of the school board is integral to the success of our students and our school system. The members of the Newton County Board of Education work tirelessly to ensure that the school system continues its forward progress.  It is exciting that this team will continue to work together on behalf of our children and employees.”