CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The Cherokee County Board of Education voted on Thursday night to approve Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis as the next superintendent.

The board reportedly voted 4-3 in favor of Davis. She was named the sole finalist for the job at a Feb. 1 meeting.

She succeeds Dr. Brian Hightower who announced his retirement at the end of the school year in September.

Dr. Davis is currently the superintendent in the Henry County School District.

“I am honored to be named by the Board of Education as the finalist for the Superintendent of the Cherokee County School District,” Davis wrote in a statement after the Feb. 1 meeting. “Cherokee County, known for the extraordinary commitment to educational excellence, aligns perfectly with my beliefs about the role of public education in communities today.”

Some parents at Thursday’s meeting expressed their opposition to the new superintendent, saying she’s too liberal for the district.

“I don’t feel like the parents aren’t being listened to. I feel like a person is being imposed on us that we do not want,” parent Derek Green said.

Some felt that others in the room and some on the board were too hard on Davis.

“There was a lot of misinformation on the line about her...disrespect towards her,” parent Matthew Grant said.

Henry County appointed Davis as its superintendent in Nov. 2017.

She previously worked for the chief academic officer for Cobb County Schools and the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Gwinnett County.

There is no word on when she will formally transition to Cherokee County.

©2024 Cox Media Group