THOMASVILLE — The first steps in hiring a new Thomasville City Schools superintendent could be taken within the next few days.

City school board members met with Bill Sampson of the Georgia School Boards Association at a Tuesday workshop to discuss the impending superintendent search. The school board chose to have GSBA conduct its search, selecting it over the Regional Educational Service Agency.

The advertisement for the position could be ready as soon as the beginning of next week. School board Chairman Todd Bennett said they expect the job to be posted for four to five weeks.

From there, the GSBA will go through the applications and the school board will interview recommended candidates. The GSBA provides school boards searching for superintendents with interview training and preparation.

Bennett said the board will have a community survey for input. The school board also wants to hear directly from its constituents.

“We want to have a community forum where people can express their thoughts, and the board can listen to their input,” he said.

Bennett said the school board needs expert help to conduct a superintendent search and ultimately chose GSBA.

“They have the resources to do it,” he said.

The city schools employed GSBA to conduct its previous superintendent search. The position became open when Dr. Laine Reichert submitted her resignation in early May. She had been hired in March 2017 to succeed the retiring Sabrina Boykins-Everett and took over full-time in July 2017.

After Reichert’s departure, Assistant Superintendent Daniel Oldham, who already had taken another job in northeast Georgia, was appointed to run the day-to-day operations of the system. The school board later hired Lance Heard as interim superintendent.

Heard’s contract as interim runs through September 30 but that deal could be extended if the board and Heard agree to do so.

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.