Franklin County Board of Education to Hold Called Meeting Tonight

The Franklin County Board of Education will hold a called meeting this evening for personnel.

At that meeting, the Board is expected to formally vote to hire Assistant School Superintendent Melanie Burton-Brown as the new School Superintendent for the Franklin County Charter System.

Burton-Brown was named the sole finalist for the position of School Superintendent for the Franklin County Charter School System at the end of the Board’s called meeting on January 12.

Board Chair Robin Cato said Burton-Brown was the logical candidate to succeed the late Superintendent Chris Forrer.

“It has, as it always does, fallen upon the Board to start our search for a Superintendent,” she said. “We chose not to do a superintendent search. We as a Board are very very pleased to make a recommendation as our sole finalist with full support to name Melanie Burton-Brown to be our next Superintendent.”

Acting School Superintendent Chuck Colquitt said he knows the Franklin County Charter System will be in good hands.

“I’m so proud of the fact that Mrs. Burton-Brown will be leading the charge for Franklin County. I know she spent her entire career here. She was born and raised here. She’s a Lion at heart and bleeds green,” he said. “I think you couldn’t leave this school system in better hands. I’m so pleased with the choice and I’m glad to support her in any way possible.”

In an interview with WLHR News afterward, Burton-Brown said she agrees with Cato who said at their work session that the Board did not want someone new changing everything Forrer had put in place.

“I think we’re doing good work. I think one of the worst things for our District is for somebody brand new to come in with a completely different idea or vision of how things should be and we have to do a 180 and change completely what we’re doing,” Burton-Brown explained. “I don’t think that is what is best for our teachers. I surely don’t think that is what’s best for our students. And so it was important to me to provide that consistency and that balance for the school district.”

Under Georgia law, the School Board had to wait 14 days after naming their finalist for the job before they can formally hire Burton-Brown as the next School Superintendent.

Tonight’s meeting starts at 6p and is open to the public.