Dr. Evans a Finalist as Georgia Superintendent of the Year

Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. L. C. "Buster" Evans is one of four finalists competing to become the Georgia Superintendent of the Year for 2012.

The Georgia School Superintendents Association's committee, charged with selecting the 2012 Superintendent of the Year, announced the school leader's running in a news release on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled for Dr. Evans to receive this outstanding recognition. He is truly worthy of the honor because he is dedicated to improving public education for every student, teacher and parent in Forsyth County and across Georgia,” stated Tom Cleveland, Chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Education.

“Dr. Evans envisions new and innovative goals for us to achieve, and is not afraid to forge to unknown territories to do what is best for students," he said.

Cleveland also added that Evans led the school district with increased SAT scores, higher graduation rates, and the creation of the R4 Digital Dashboard that reports organizational performance indicators.

Evans was chosen from among a field of 22 superintendents who had been nominated, three-fourths of them placed in nomination by the members of their local boards of education. Evans was nominated by each member of his Board of Education and Cabinet, as well as his 35 school principals.

The other finalists include:

• Will Schofield, Superintendent, Hall County Schools
• Chris Erwin, Superintendent, Banks County Schools
• Dr. Emily Lembeck, Superintendent, Marietta City Schools

“The four finalists will now complete a lengthy document prepared by the American Association of School Administrators -- an ‘application’ of sorts -- and submit it for a second round of judging,” shared Hebert Garrett, Executive Director of the Georgia School Superintendent Association.

Prior to joining Forsyth County Schools in 2007, Evans served as superintendent of Bleckley County School System for 10 years.

But this is not the first time he has been nominated for the prestigious honor. As a 2007 finalist for Georgia Superintendent of the Year, Evans served as the president of the Middle Georgia School Superintendent's Association. He was also chair of the Georgia School Superintendents Association and president of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, which is Georgia’s largest educational leadership organization. 

Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Evans to serve as a trustee of the Georgia Teachers Retirement System (TRS), where he is currently the chairman. He also serves on the Education Funding Study Commission appointed by Governor Nathan Deal.

The winner will be announced during an awards luncheon in Cobb County on Dec. 2 and will represent Georgia in the national competition.