A representative from the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) met with the Board of Education Tuesday, Jan. 15 in a closed door session to present a list of 31 qualified candidates that had applied for the position of superintendent.

The meeting was not open to the public. Georgia law stipulates that a governmental agency has the legal right to conduct a closed session meeting when discussing matters of individual employment.

Ray Hammett, interim superintendent, said in a previous meeting that a public announcement of the candidates will be made once the board has narrowed the list to three choices.

The school board voted in September to hire the GSBA to head the search for a new superintendent after former Superintendent Marvin Williams Williams announced he would retire on Nov. 30.

Jim Puckett, GSBA board development specialist explained the GSBA would take care of placing notices of the opening and meeting legal requirements and well as reviewing resumes and selecting a list of qualified candidates to bring before the board.

However, Puckett said it would be the school board’s responsibility to select and hire the new superintendent.