Georgia Superintendent of Schools
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$155,000
2025 FY Budget:	$15,547,667,128
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Georgia Constitution, Article VIII, Section 3
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder(s)
Georgia State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods Republican Party Assumed office: January 12, 2015
Elections
Next election:	2026
Last election:	2022
Other Georgia Executive Offices
Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Auditor•Superintendent of Schools•Agriculture Commissioner•Insurance Commissioner•Natural Resources Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Public Service Commission

TheGeorgia Superintendent of Schools is a state executive position in the Georgia state government. The superintendent is the administrative head of the Georgia of Department of Education, which oversees the state's K-12 public education system. The superintendent is charged with instituting the policies of the state Board of Education and managing operations for the school system. The superintendent is popularly elected to four-year terms during federal midterm election years.^[1]

Current officeholder

The current Georgia State Superintendent of Schools isRichard Woods (R). Woods assumed office in 2015.

Authority

The office of superintendent is created byArticle VIII of theGeorgia Constitution.

Georgia Constitution, Article VIII, Section 3

Qualifications

Superintendents must hold a four-year degree from an accredited college or university, and may not have been convicted of "any crime involving moral turpitude."^[3]

Georgia Code, 20-2-31

Additionally, theGeorgia Constitution requires that the superintendent be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. for ten years prior to his election, and a legal resident ofGeorgia for four years.

Georgia Constitution, Article V, Section III, Paragraph II

Elections

The superintendent is elected every four years during federal midterm elections years (2018, 2022, 2026, etc.) "in the same manner and for the same term as theGovernor is elected." Like thegovernor, the superintendent takes office on the day theGeorgia General Assembly convenes itself in January of the year following his election.

Georgia Code, 20-2-31

Term limits

There are no term limits for the superintendent of schools.^[3]

Election results

• 2030
• 2026
• 2022
• 2018

See also: Georgia Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2030

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Georgia Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

Lydia Powell (D) andOtha Thornton (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Lydia Powell
		Otha Thornton

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	There are noincumbents in this race.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

Fred Longgrear (R),Mesha Mainor (R), andRandell Trammell (R) are running in the Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Fred Longgrear
		Mesha Mainor
		Randell Trammell

---

	There are noincumbents in this race.
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See also: Georgia Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2022

General election

General election for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

IncumbentRichard Woods (R) defeatedAlisha Searcy (D) in the general election for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Woods (R)	54.2	2,115,728
		Alisha Searcy (D)	45.8	1,788,671

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,904,399
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

Alisha Searcy (D) defeatedJaha Howard (D),James Morrow (D), andCurrey Hitchens (D) in the Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alisha Searcy	57.0	382,792
		Jaha Howard	15.0	100,675
		James Morrow	14.6	97,821
		Currey Hitchens	13.5	90,514

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 671,802
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Everton Blair Jr. (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

IncumbentRichard Woods (R) defeatedJohn Barge (R) in the Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Woods	72.6	802,260
		John Barge	27.4	302,681

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,104,941
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

IncumbentRichard Woods (R) defeatedOtha Thornton (D) in the general election for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Woods (R)	53.0	2,048,003
		Otha Thornton (D)	47.0	1,814,461

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,862,464
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary runoff

Democratic primary runoff for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

Otha Thornton (D) defeatedSid Chapman (D) in the Democratic primary runoff for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on July 24, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Otha Thornton	59.1	86,704
	Submit photo	Sid Chapman	40.9	60,006

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 146,710
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

Otha Thornton (D) andSid Chapman (D) advanced to a runoff. They defeatedSam Mosteller (D) in the Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Otha Thornton	43.9	208,407
✔	Submit photo	Sid Chapman	36.5	173,270
	Submit photo	Sam Mosteller	19.7	93,402

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 475,079
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

IncumbentRichard Woods (R) defeatedJohn Barge (R) in the Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Woods	60.1	324,848
		John Barge	39.9	215,431

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 540,279
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Previous election results

2014

See also:Georgia down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Superintendent of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Woods	55.1%	1,391,005
	Democratic	Valarie Wilson	44.9%	1,132,886
Total Votes				2,523,891
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Vacancies

Note:Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that details the process of filling vacancies for a state executive office. That information for the Georgia State Superintendent of Schools has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, pleaseemail us.

Duties

Georgia state government organizational chart

The superintendent is charged by state law to "carry out and enforce all the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education and the laws governing the schools receiving state aid." Additionally, he is directed to make recommendations to the board on matters related to the "welfare and efficiency" of the public school system.^[5]

State budget

See also:Georgia state budget

The budget for the Georgia Department of Education in the fiscal year 2025 was $15,547,667,128.^[6]

Compensation

See also:Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of elected executive officials in Georgia are determined by state law as mandated in theGeorgia Constitution.Article V of the state constitution indicates that theGeorgia State Legislature determines salaries for governor, lieutenant governor and "other elected executives."^[4]

Article V, Section 3, Paragraph III

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $155,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[7]

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[8]

2021

In 2021, the superintendent received a salary of $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[9]

2020

In 2020, the superintendent received a salary of $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[10]

2019

In 2019, the superintendent received a salary of $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[11]

2018

In 2018, the superintendent received a salary of $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[12]

2017

In 2017, the superintendent received a salary of $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[13]

2016

In 2016, the superintendent received a salary of $123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[14]

2015

In 2015, the superintendent received a salary of $127,500, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[15]

2014

In 2014, the superintendent received a salary of$127,500, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[16]

2013

In 2013, the superintendent received a salary of$123,270, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[17]

Historical officeholders

Note:Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Georgia State Superintendent of Schools has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, pleaseemail us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsGeorgia State Superintendent Schools Woods. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Contact info

Address:
205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 657-1175
Fax: (404) 651-8737
E-mail: state.superintendent@doe.k12.ga.us

See also

Georgia	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Georgia State Executive OfficesGeorgia State LegislatureGeorgia Courts	2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016Georgia elections:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016	Party control of state governmentState government trifectasState of the state addressesPartisan composition of governors

• Georgia school districts
• Georgia Department of Education
• Public education in Georgia

External links

• Georgia State Superintendent of Schools

Footnotes

	v • e State ofGeorgia Atlanta (capital)
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