CAIRO — Dr. Eric McFee plans to start his job as Grady County School superintendent Monday.

In a 3-2 vote March 29, the Grady County Board of Education offered Dr. McFee the superintendent position 

Currently transitioning to Grady County, McFee said that he plans to begin his responsibilities on April 11. He said that the transition process included purchasing a house in the area and getting everything and everyone ready for the move.

“We’re hoping, God willing,” McFee said, “that everything happens the way it’s supposed to happen.”

Board member John White made a motion to select McFee from the two finalists. McFee stood out to White from the other candidate, Dr. Zheadric E. Barbra, due to his proficiency with Spanish. 

“I thought he was the best for my district and the people I represent,” White said in reference to District 5’s large Hispanic population. 

McFee said that superintendency has been his major goal throughout his 33 years of experience and that he put a lot of hard work into inching his way toward it. 

“I’ve always been working up the scale, up the ladder, to reach this position,” he said. 

Having received a call in March and recognized as a finalist for the search, he said that he was grateful for the offer.

“Of course, I accepted gladly,” McFee said.

McFee graduated in 2000 from Florida Gulf Coast University with his masters in educational leadership and received a doctorate in organizational leadership in 2016 from Grand Canyon University. 

He had been principal of Cook County High School in Adel since 2018, and previously was superintendent for Murray County Public Schools. He also had been a principal in Lee County, Florida.

According to McFee, the officials of Cook County were aware of his intentions and his application for the superintendent search, aiding him in the process and transition. 

“Cook County has been very good to me,” he said. 

White said that the search, which began in October 2021, had come to a satisfying conclusion.

“It went well,” he said, “We worked hard at it.”

  

Payton Fletcher can be reached at 229-226-2400, ext. 1826