Beverley Levine will remain superintendent of Oglethorpe County School System through 2026 after her contract was renewed at a called meeting of the Board of Education on Jan. 3.
Levine, who has been superintendent since 2015, received a three-year contract. She was interim superintendent for six months in 2014 and has been involved with the school system in various capacities for more than 30 years.
The board went into executive session at the meeting and adjourned with the extension.
“The Board of Education is thrilled that Ms. Levine continues to be willing and passionate about leading Oglethorpe County Schools,” BOE chair Becky Soto said. “Her dedication to our community and our families sets a standard for every member of the Oglethorpe County School System team. We look forward to the continued trend of success that we have seen over the past decade with her at the helm of our school system.”
Soto will remain as the chair of the BOE after a board vote. Tim Poole will remain vice chair.
Soto was elected chair in 2016, two years after joining the BOE, and has been chair since. Poole is responsible for acting in the chair’s place in their absence.
The chair is responsible for leading meetings, acting as a liaison between the board and superintendent and being the board’s spokesperson.
The board also said the statewide $1,000 bonus approved by Gov. Brian Kemp in December was to be distributed to county teachers and staff by Jan. 9.
Though Kemp had requested the bonus be distributed in December, Oglethorpe County, among other school systems, had already distributed the 2023 payroll, Soto said.
Since Kemp’s bonus applied to state employees, the BOE approved matching bonuses to school system employees who are paid through county or federal funds.
“We choose to make sure every school employee gets a $1,000 bonus, regardless of if they're a bus driver or a cafeteria worker or kindergarten paraprofessional,” Soto said. “That kindergarten paraprofessional is just as important as that food nutrition worker and just as important as that bus driver to the success of our school.”