Education
Education

Governor replaces three school board members

ajc.com
By Ty Tagami
Jan 5, 2017

Gov. Nathan Deal has named three new members to the Dooly County school board after suspending them over accreditation issues.

The 1,500-student system in Middle Georgia has been roiled by controversy since at least 2015, when the Dooly board faced complaints that its members were meddling in schools, a cardinal sin according to accreditation organization AdvancEd.

Last fall, the organization told the state board of education that the board had not mended its ways, and in November Deal suspended five board members.

Two of them are being succeeded by the winners in the November election, leaving three for Deal to replace. On Tuesday, he named Rev. F. Thomas (Tommy) Mason, Jr., Dr. Wanda Parker-Jackson and Michael Bowens to fill the three unexpired terms.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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