Dr. Mark Scott, Superintendent of Schools for the Houston County School District, will retire at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Dr. Scott announced his plans to retire at the Houston County School District’s Opening Session held in July. 

Prior to becoming Superintendent in July 2014, Dr. Scott served as the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and as the Principal of Northside High School. Dr. Scott served as a teacher for 10 years before becoming an administrator. He began his career as an administrator in Baldwin County, serving as an Assistant Principal at Baldwin High School before becoming the Principal at Oak Hill Middle School.

Dr. Scott has been instrumental in leading the way for student achievement. Under his leadership, the District was named a Model Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work^® District, and five schools were recognized as Model PLC at Work^® Schools. Thanks to his initiative called the Power of 18, high school students in Houston County can now earn up to 18 college credits without having to leave their high school. In recognition of the District’s strong support of military students and their families, ten schools have been recognized as Military Flagship Schools by the Georgia Department of Education. Additionally, when he became Superintendent, the graduation rate was 76.8% and is projected to be over 90.0% when the Georgia Department of Education releases graduation rates in October.

During his tenure as Superintendent, Houston County has seen tremendous growth. Enrollment has increased by over 2,700 students since 2014, making Houston County School District the 12^th largest district in Georgia. Dr. Scott led the District through the construction of four schools, five gymnasiums, a central bus facility, a tennis facility, an aquatic center, a stadium, and multiple classroom additions. Additionally, the District completed numerous projects such as roof replacements, HVAC replacements, school renovations, and parking improvements. Since 2014, the starting pay for teachers in Houston County increased by over $14,000. In that same time, the District purchased 183 buses and increased the District’s fund balance by $40 million. 

The Houston County Board of Education is now tasked with finding someone who aligns with the District’s vision and goals to serve as the next Superintendent of Schools. Applications from qualified candidates will be accepted from September 13 to September 27. As part of the selection process, the Board will also seek input from the community and from school district employees through a survey that will be available September 16-20. The survey will gather input from key stakeholders on the qualities they want to see from the next Superintendent of Schools. The Board encourages all community members to complete the survey. 

More information on the search process, including links to the job posting and community survey, can be found atwww.hcbe.net/superintendentsearch.