At its Thursday, May 14 meeting, the Clarke County Board of Education selected Dr. Jennifer Scott as the sole finalist for the position of Superintendent of the Clarke County School District, a position she has held on an interim basis since July 2025.
Under state law, the board must now wait at least 14 calendar days before holding a final vote. A called meeting for a vote on hiring and approving a contract with Dr. Scott will be announced at a later date. Pending final approval of the board at that meeting, Dr. Scott’s promotion to the position full-time will take effect immediately.
Since the retirement of former Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker in June 2025, the board has undergone an extensive search process and contracted with the Georgia School Boards Association last fall to facilitate the national search for the district’s next leader. The board received 32 applications for the position and, after carefully and thoroughly reviewing each of them, identified top candidates for in-person interviews, including Dr. Scott, which occurred May 1-2.
In making its decision on a sole finalist, the board strongly considered feedback received from more than 270 district and community stakeholders in a public survey earlier this year. Many respondents indicated that they would prefer a Superintendent with local experience who understands the unique characteristics and challenges of Athens-Clarke County and CCSD.
“The CCSD Board of Education is pleased to advance Dr. Jennifer Scott as the sole finalist for Superintendent,” said Board President Dr. Mumbi Anderson. “Following a comprehensive national search process—one that included stakeholder surveys, careful consideration of the leadership qualities needed to advance our strategic plan, and extensive board deliberations—we are confident that the strongest candidate to lead our district is already serving our community. Dr. Scott’s progression from classroom teacher to district leader, coupled with her deep roots in Athens, uniquely positions her to assume this role with both immediate effectiveness and a strong understanding of our community’s needs. Her experience, commitment, and vision align closely with the district’s priorities and future direction. The Board is enthusiastic about taking this important next step with Dr. Scott.”
A 30-year veteran of public education and member of the CCSD family since 1998, Dr. Scott has held various classroom teaching and school- and district-level administrative positions. Prior to her appointment as Interim Superintendent, she had served as Deputy Superintendent of Academic and Student Support since March 2023 and has been at the forefront of the district’s increased intensive focus on making structured literacy a priority across all schools in CCSD.
Dr. Scott’s challenge to district and school administrators, classroom teachers, and all CCSD employees at the start of the 2025-26 school year was to “raise the bar in pursuit of excellence in all that we do in service of students and families.” She oversaw the launch of a districtwide shift to the Science of Reading, a literacy model grounded in research, structured instruction, and proven results, a full year before the state of Georgia mandated the change. And she has led the call for building and strengthening a “Culture of Literacy,” not just in CCSD, but throughout Athens-Clarke County, recognizing the urgent need for children in the community to begin developing literacy skills and a love of reading before they reach school age.
Dr. Scott also played a pivotal role in supporting leader development to address school culture and climate concerns, which led to increased PBIS Climate Star ratings across the district, affirming one of the district’s core beliefs that learning occurs best in school cultures where staff and students feel a sense of belonging, safety, and support.
“I am honored and grateful to the Clarke County Board of Education for the trust and confidence they have placed in me as the sole finalist for Superintendent,” said Dr. Scott. “Serving the students of CCSD has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I remain committed to building upon the strong foundation already in place as we continue raising the bar in pursuit of excellence for every student, in every classroom, every day. I look forward to continuing this work alongside our school board, teachers, staff, families, and community.”
Dr. Scott began her time with CCSD as a teacher at Timothy Road Elementary School following two years at Colbert Elementary in Madison County. She later became assistant principal at TRES in 2007 before moving across town to Barnett Shoals Elementary School, where she was principal from 2011-2019.
From 2019-2022, she was one of the district’s Executive Directors of Leadership Development, a role in which she supervised and promoted the professional growth and development of principals at seven of the district’s 14 elementary schools. She was promoted to Chief of Student and Family Support in August 2022 and then became Deputy Superintendent when her role was merged with another administrative role in an organizational realignment.
Dr. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications, a master’s in Early Childhood Education, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, all from the University of Georgia. She is married to native Athenian Larry Scott, and together they have two adult sons, Tre and Jenson.