Erwin named as finalist for Superintendent of the Year

The other finalists are: Dr. Sam King, Rockdale County Schools; Dr. Emily Lembeck, Marietta City Schools; and Leonard McCoy, Colquitt County Schools. The winner will be named in December.

The four finalists were chosen from a large field of superintendents who had been nominated; three-fourths of them placed in nomination by the members of their local boards of education. Erwin was nominated by the Board of Education and the Cabinet members. Commenting on the superintendent’s recognition, Ron Gardiner, chair of the Banks County Board of Education, said, “Mr. Erwin is very deserving of this recognition. It is long overdue. He is committed to doing what is best for students and leading the school system in the right direction. His continued efforts are greatly appreciated.”

Erwin is the only final four candidate who serves as a superintendent of a small school district. The other candidates are from school districts with 8,000 or more students.

“I am humbled by the nomination and the recognition,” Erwin said. “I am privileged to work with a board of education whose members are dedicated and faithful in their service to the public and students. There is no better staff or community to work with.”

Erwin has served as superintendent in Banks County for the past seven years. Since he came on board at Banks County, all elementary schools and the middle school have been recognized as Title I Distinguished Schools. In 2006, the SAT scores exceeded the state average resulting in Banks County High School winning the Governor’s Cup for the SAT scores. Banks County Middle School has been cited for excellence in education with the receipt of the Governor’s Silver Award in 2006, and Banks County Primary School received the Gold Award in 2010 recognizing the school’s outstanding achievement. The most recent year’s CRCT scores for the middle school indicate the scores of multiple subject areas to be in the top fifteen of the state.

All four finalists will now complete a lengthy document prepared by the American Association of School Administrators -- an "application" of sorts" -- and submit it for a second round of judging. The winner, who will represent Georgia in the national competition, will be named during the December 3 Awards Luncheon that is part of the annual GSBA/GSSA Winter Conference at the Waverly Hotel in Cobb County.