The Board of Education of the City of Buford announced Wednesday that Robert Downs, assistant superintendent of Cobb County Schools, is the sole finalist to be appointed next superintendent of Buford City Schools.
He will replace former Superintendent Geye Hamby who resigned in August after an audio recording surfaced with a voice alleged to be his using racial slurs and threatening violence against temporary construction workers who had angered him.
Former assistant superintendent under Hamby, Joy Davis, came out of retirement to fill in as superintendent on an interim basis. She said she wasn’t interested in the permanent position.
After community outcry demanded transparency in the search for Hamby’s replacement, the Buford BOE appointed a nine-member committee. It comprised of community members and six current or former school district employees, including former Buford Superintendent Beauty Baldwin, who was the first black female superintendent in the state.
Downs was selected from 92 applicants from 15 states, according to school district officials.
“Dr. Downs' credentials and experience stood out among the highly qualified field of candidates,” board chair Phillip Beard in a written statement. “We are confident that he will build strong ties with students, teachers, parents and the community.”
Downs will oversee nearly 5,000 students as well as help bring online a new state-of-the-art high school complex this fall.
Downs is anticipated to come aboard on Feb. 25.
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