When Superintendent Laurie Atkins announced in early November her plans to retire, the search got underway almost immediately to determine who will replace her when the school year comes to a close in late May.

For the past three weeks, the Polk School District has been taking applications for the position, and now that phase of the search is closed.

Atkins said that the district “is vetting application and selecting candidates for interviews” in this latest phase of narrowing down who will be considered – from inside the district and out – who will take over when she finishes out her long career as an educator in Polk County.

Whoever takes over for her will be the fifth person to sit in the position within the last five years. Atkins took over for then interim Superintendent Greg Teems. She’s been in the position since her hire and appointment in 2017.

The process will work its way through the next several months before Atkins retirement with the class of 2021, ending her 30 year tenure with the district. She previously served as an educator at local elementary schools before she moved onto administrative roles, then up to the central office in Cedartown prior to her service as the executive of the district. Those included roles as Curriculum Director and Assistant Superintendent.

Whoever ends up as the new Superintendent will undoubtedly be coming in with a much easier road ahead than in years past, with the district completing another round of a successful building program under Atkins’ tenure, an increase in years past in the success of both high school athletics programs, and most important the growth of academic performance and programs like the Polk County College and Career Academy.

Check back for updates after the beginning of the year on the search for a new superintendent.