Cherokee County planning school superintendent search

The Cherokee County Board of Education is taking preliminary steps toward picking a replacement for Superintendent Frank Petruzielo, who’s retiring effective Feb 1.

At a special meeting on Sunday, board members decided not to hire a search firm because of the cost and because of the competency of current school district senior staffers who may apply for the job.

Board members also weighed in on the qualities they’d like to see in the next superintendent, including: strong educational leader and advocate who knows the local and Georgia political landscape, commitment to a comprehensive education for all students, a background in classroom teaching and superintendent or senior-level staff experience and strong management and communications skills.

The board will meet Thursday to vote on whether to approve the process to advertise the vacancy and to form a board review committee. Under that plan, official applications would be due at the school board attorney’s office at midnight Oct 19.