Former Decatur Superintendent Phyllis Edwards has removed her name from the list of four finalists for the Flagler County (Florida) superintendent position.
Edwards, who lives in Palm Coast, located in Flagler, applied for the job March 17, but decided last week not to pursue an interview.
“I saw there was a discrepancy with the board,” Edwards told the AJC. “You can never be successful if a board is split. My gut feeling was to remove my name and let them work it out.”
Before coming to Decatur in 2003 Edwards spent 21 years as a teacher and administrator in Flagler, finishing up as assistant superintendent for instruction and accountability.
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She spent 12½ years as Decatur’s ninth superintendent before resigning in March 2015, though she worked through November.
When she came to Decatur enrollment was around 2,500, nearly a low-water mark. She subsequently closed two schools and spearheaded a controversial re-organization of the school system into three (now five) K-3 schools and a 4/5 Academy.
When she left enrollment was an all-time high of 4,300 (it has since climbed to over 5,000) and in 2014 she was named one of the top four superintendents in Georgia.
“I’m 65, so at this stage I’m not looking to build a resume,” said Edwards, currently a consultant for the International Center for Leadership in Education. “Getting this job would’ve been wonderful, it would’ve been a nice full circle. But it wasn’t meant to happen.”
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