HENRY COUNTY, Ga. -- Henry County's school district has confirmed they are reopening the search for the next superintendent. It's a story 11Alive's investigators has been following closely.
The search has been mired in accusations of racial preference, after the school district rescinded an offer to Dr. Timothy Gadson. Gasdon would have been the district's first African-American superintendent, and the NAACP debated whether it would get involved.
Gadson had been the sole finalist for the position before suddenly being turned down on July 10. Georgia Sen. Emanuel Jones raised questions about why the offer had been rescinded at all.
He, along with other legislators, asked the state's accrediting agency, AdvancED, to launch an investigation into the district's search. The agency confirmed that it would look into whether the county conducted the search fairly.
The board maintains that Gasdon simply asked for too much money, but Jones said he believed the board caved to pressure from the community.
The back and forth left Dr. Timothy Gadson, the actual finalist for the job, in the middle of it all. He was aware of the letter sent to the Governor, but says he doesn't want to lose sight of the main issue and is trying to focus on ways to open up dialog with board members.
Despite that, Henry County said it is reopening the search and accepting applications. The window for submitting an application opens Friday, Aug. 4 and closes on Friday, Sept. 1.
The district said it hopes to fill the position by Nov. 1.
