The Gwinnett County Board of Education will go into closed session after a Thursday afternoon training to discuss the search for a new superintendent.
Members and Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks will convene at 1 p.m. at the district’s headquarters near Suwanee. They will complete a state-mandated training session on board norms and protocols before closing the meeting to discuss the search, according to a notice sent out per the state open meetings act.
The Georgia School Boards Association, which is handling the search, said last month 27 people applied to replace Wilbanks, whose last day is July 31. The agency said candidates will be interviewed this month.
The applicant pool is small compared to last year’s superintendent searches in other large metro Atlanta school districts, including DeKalb County, where 68 people applied, and Atlanta Public Schools, which drew 84 applicants.
The school board in March voted 3-2 to end Wilbanks’ contract early amid concerns about equity in the district. Wilbanks, the nation’s longest-serving superintendent of a large school district, has led the Gwinnett system for 25 years.
He will receive a payout of more than $530,000, per the terms of his contract.
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