Clarke County School District Superintendent Robbie Hooker announced Monday night that he will retire effective June 30.
The Clarke County Board of Education held a called meeting Monday to discuss personnel matters. There was no previous indication that Hooker intended to retire.
According to a press release, the BOE will discuss the process for hiring a new superintendent at another closed meeting on Apr. 17.
Hooker’s retirement means the BOE will soon have to hire its fifth superintendent in eight years. Philip Lanoue, who served for seven years, resigned in 2017 after a sexual assault scandal at Cedar Shoals High School. UGA professor Jack Parish served as interim superintendent until the board hired Demond Means from Milwaukee. His acrimonious tenure ended in 2020, with chief of staff Xernona Thomas replacing him. She left after a health scare in 2022. Hooker, a former Clarke Central principal who had been leading the Social Circle school system, replaced Thomas, and received a contract extension just last year.
Hooker appeared to have CCSD on the right track by raising tests scores, improving schools’ rankings on state metrics, opening new school-based health clinics, introducing a new reading curriculum and forming partnerships with the Athens-Clarke County government on after-school programs.
“On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to express my gratitude for Dr. Hooker’s leadership. His focus on maintaining high expectations for all students and his commitment to providing both resources and support for our teachers and staff has been instrumental in moving CCSD forward,” BOE
President Mumbi Anderson said in a news release. “As we plan for Dr. Hooker’s departure, we will continue building on the strong foundation he has laid to ensure a smooth transition for our students, educators, and families. Thank you, Dr. Hooker, for your tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to the Clarke County School District.”
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