The Henry County Board of Education has announced Dr. John Pace III as the sole finalist to serve as the district’s next Superintendent.
The five-member school board voted unanimously for Dr. Pace as the finalist to lead Georgia’s eighth-largest school district. He presently serves as Deputy Superintendent for Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida.
Superintendent Search
Henry County Schools’ previous Superintendent, Mary Elizabeth Davis, left the district in March to accept the same position in Cherokee County. At the time, the district named Dr. Carl Knowlton to be the interim superintendent. Since then, the school board has engaged in an extensive search process, with the help of the Georgia School Board Association, to name the next superintendent of Henry County Schools. The district has shared updates about the search on their website here.
The school board named Dr. John Pace to be the sole finalist during a called meeting on July 22. The board shared their remarks about the superintendent search and Dr. Pace joining Henry County Schools:
“I am so grateful to be part of a community who has shared this process with us. We gave serious consideration to the input from our community, and we are so thankful for that input,” said Board Chair Pope (District 4). “Participants in our survey wanted a Superintendent with experience as a principal, teacher, and assistant superintendent. Dr. Pace checks all those boxes. They wanted a leader who promoted vision, culture, and instructional leadership, with a background in operations, resource, and personnel management. He has extensive experience in all those areas. Most importantly, they wanted a leader who is honest and ethical, and I believe Dr. Pace is that person.”
District 5 Board Member McDaniel expressed “Dr. John Pace is a teacher’s teacher who brings a wealth of knowledge to propel this school district forward.” Board members Cobb and Edwards also expressed their enthusiasm and welcomed Dr. Pace to Henry County.
About Dr. Pace
Dr. Pace holds a Doctor of Education degree in educational policy, planning, and leadership from The College of William and Mary, as well as a Master of Science degree in music education from Florida International University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music/business finance from the University of Miami.
As Deputy Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools since 2022, he has directly assisted Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres by overseeing the Office of School Leadership and Performance and the daily operation of 350 traditional K-12 schools and technical colleges serving more than 240,000 students.
Dr. Pace previously served as Chief Operating Officer of School Operations (2021-2022), Region Superintendent of the Central Region Office (2017-2021), and Administrative Director of the Education Transformation Office in the Division of Academic Support (2015-2017).
His district-level administrator roles were preceded by more than a decade in school-level leadership, including as principal of Myrtle Grove K-8 Center (2011-2015), assistant principal of Norland Elementary School (2007-2011), and school administrator for the William H. Turner Technical Adult Center (2007-2011).
Prior to that, he spent seven years in the classroom as a music instructor, jazz band director, and co-concert and marching band director for Miami Norland Senior High School.
“Thank you to the Henry County Board of Education for this opportunity. I am humbled and honored to be considered and selected as a finalist for the Superintendent of Henry County Schools,” said Dr. Pace. “I look forward to working with the students, parents, employees, and community in the continued ‘Pursuit of Exceptional’ in HCS.”
Dr. Pace’s resume and application are available at this link.
Next Steps
Georgia law requires the school district to wait at least 14 days between naming a Superintendent finalist and voting to approve their appointment. During this time, the district intends to host a meet-and-great with Dr. Pace. More details about that event will be forthcoming.
Following the two-week waiting period, the board will vote to confirm the appointment and set the new Superintendent’s start date and contract.
Portions of this article reprinted from Henry County Schools. Featured image shows Dr. John Pace and the Henry County Schools district office. HCS photos.
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