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ment as his family gathered around him.
Dr. Alvarez was named in October as the sole finalist for the position, culminating a search that began in July. The Board employed consultants Georgia Leadership Associates, and with the help of the search firm the position was advertised, 22 applications reviewed, candidates screened, and lengthy interviews conducted.
The Superintendent’s post was vacated in June with the resignation of Suzanne Couey, and Dr. Quent Floyd, an elementary school principal at Wheeler County School, served as Interim Superintendent. Dr. Alvarez will assume his new duties on January 1, 2025.
Dr. Alvarez, who was welcomed by a delegation of school administrators in addition to the Board, said after his contract was signed, “I am looking forward to working with all of you and I am definitely excited to be here. I have been getting calls from folks all over the state in the past few weeks, and I have heard nothing but good things about Wheeler County, so your reputation precedes you. I feel like I am walking into a great community and a great situation and I hope to contribute to it and meet all of your expectations moving forward and make it even better.”
Dr. Alvarez has 22 years of public education experience and is departing his role as the Principal of Valdosta Early College Academy and Director of Gifted Services for the Valdosta City Schools. Before that, he served as a teacher, head coach, and district leader in Rockdale County, Cobb County and Valdosta City Schools.
Dr. Alvarez is a graduate of Valdosta State University earning a B.S. Degree in education, an M. Ed. Degree in Education and an Ed.S. Degree in Teaching and Learning. He holds a Doctor of Education degree from Georgia State University in Educational Leadership.
He has extensive experience in district level leadership and is currently a member of the Superintendent Professional Development Program coordinated by the Georgia School Superintendent Association (GSSA). In addition, he has completed GSSA’s Human Resources Institute, the Facility and Capital Outlay Institute, the District Office Leadership Program, and the District Planning, Funding, and Budget Institute.
Dr. Alvarez has also been involved in both professional and community organizations. He has been a member of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, the American Education Research Association, the Georgia Association of Curriculum and Instruction Supervisors, the Georgia Association of Gifted Teachers and the Georgia Science Teachers Association. He is the Immediate Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Valdosta and currently serves as the chair of the City of Valdosta Preservation Commission.
Dr. Alvarez and his wife, Jennie, have two daughters: Emily is a nursing student in Valdosta and Elizabeth is an engineering student at the University of Georgia. Update on Storm Damage Repairs In other business during the meeting, the Board received a report from Director of School System Facilities Greg Wilcher regarding repairs to the school facilities following Hurricane Helene. Wilcher said that some work has been accomplished, including replacing shingles, but the school system is waiting in line for repairs with other facilities across the state which were also damaged, so progress has been slow.
While the new school weathered the September 27 storm well, with very minor damages to its metal roof, the system’s ball field and buildings on the old elementary school campus sustained heavy blows. The storm took out the six metal roll-up doors on the bus shed and sent a tree through the concrete wall of the warehouse. Fencing at the site was destroyed. At the school ball field, the new batting cage was damaged, as well as the dressing room/concession stand building, the bleacher covers and the dugout on the visitors’ side. Also, newlyinstalled fencing around the field was totaled during the storm.
The system has been working on repairs with the Georgia School Boards Association’s preferred contractor, BELFOR Property Restoration Company, which visited the county on October 1 to assess the damages. Repairs will be covered by the school system’s insurer.
HQIM Approved
After receiving a report from Interim Superintendent Floyd, the Board approved a High Quality Instruction Materials (HQIM) program to be used for teaching students in K-3 classes. Per House Bill 538, local boards of education and governing bodies are required to certify by December 1 to the Georgia Department of Education that instructional materials and contents constituting HQIM have been adopted. By August 1 of subsequent years, local boards and governing bodies must recertify these materials. The State Board of Education evaluated core reading programs based on foundational literacy skills and structured literacy to create their list of approved core reading programs. The Wheeler County System selected Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ‘s “Into Reading” (K-6 reading curriculum) as its core reading program.
Personnel Matters
The Board approved the following personnel changes: Accepted the resignations of WCES paraprofessional Pamela Chapman and nutrition employee Tabitha Wilcox; hired Brooke Hess as a WCES paraprofessional; added Patricia Marsters and DeLisa Gillis to the substitute teachers list; and accepted Kimberly Youngblood Mobley to the lunchroom staff and the substitute teacher list. Hiring of the employees is pending background check completion.
