School leaders say they’re ‘comfortable’ with interim superintendent choice
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Just this week, we’ve learned that Richmond County School District’s current superintendent is stepping down, and we’ve learned who will temporarily take over.
Dr. Malinda Cobb is no stranger to Richmond County, as she currently serves as the Associate Superintendent of Academic Services.
Kenneth Bradshaw recommended Cobb for the job, but the school board says that didn’t sway their decision.
In fact, Bradshaw wasn’t even in the meeting when they made the call.
But Richmond County School Board Member President Charlie Walker says they are confident in their decision for the temporary position.
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The Richmond County School System has grown in every category of the College and Career Ready Performance Index, Georgia’s ability system for K-12 schools that measures academic achievement and readiness for college or career.
2025 is a year of change for the Richmond County School System with four new board , and now a different superintendent.
“We’re very comfortable with the fact that we are very familiar with her,” said Walker.
Cobb’s face isn’t new to the school board.
“A couple of factors played into that. Number one, we’ve got a short time frame with the current board,” said Walker.
Walker says asking the new board to select an interim superintendent isn’t something he wanted to do.
He says it will give Cobb some time to transition before Bradshaw’s last day.
“The selection we made may not have to do a whole bunch of transition because we feel that Dr. Cobb is very involved. She’s an Associate Superintendent of Academics. So that’s what the whole thing is about, right?” said Walker.
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Walker says the search for a permanent superintendent will start after the first of the year.
“If we find someone that fits the bill, you know sooner rather than later, great. If we don’t, we’ve given ourselves at least to the end of the school year,” he said. “That’s our goal, which would be the end of June 2025.”
He says if they don’t find someone by then, they can extend that timeline and would lean on Cobb to continue the job.
It’s a job that could become permanent for her.
“Dr. Cobb, the interim superintendent, will have an opportunity to apply for that position as well,” said Walker.
The school board says all eyes are on her.
“I think that she’s very enthused about the fact that she now has an opportunity to show us that, yes, she can take on that responsibility,” said Walker.
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He says there’s never a good time to lose a good person.
“Dr. Bradshaw was certainly a very, very good superintendent for the five and a half years that he spent here with us,” said Walker.
But what’s most important is doing what’s best for the students.
“I can’t fault him for the reasonings behind why he’s made the decision that he’s made, but we can’t look in the rearview mirror. The board has to move forward and that’s what we’re doing,” said Walker.
The Richmond County School System announced on Thursday that they have grown in every category of the college and career-ready performance index.
Walker says this is the direction in which they want to continue.
For the time being, they believe that Cobb can help do that.
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