GREENE COUNTY
Many attendees of this week’s Greene County Board of Education meeting were disappointed to learn that chairman Michael Lynch will be retiring effective Feb. 28 due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.
Lynch has served as the chairman for six years and has seen in that time numerous developments, both good and bad, for the district. He leaves behind a professional legacy and has been a loyal steward of the children of Greene County.
Lynch’s announcement came as a surprise to many who have counted on his leadership steering the district toward resolution of a contentious lawsuit over enrollment and student funding from the district with nearby Lake Oconee Academy, as well as the approval for a new school at Meadow Crest Road in Greensboro. He led those efforts as well as community involvement for a strategic plan for the district with the assistance of Steve Kilgore, vice chair of the board and Superintendent Dr. Chris Houston.
Local optometrist Dr. Perry Lee, a graduate of the University of Alabama and current board member elected in 2020, was named chairman effective Feb. 28 at the same meeting. Lee and his optometrist wife, Susan, are the parents of Olivia, 20, and Avery, 14, a freshman at Lake Oconee Academy. He owns and sees patients at Lake Oconee Eye Care.
“I am excited for this new role,” Lee said. “The board recognizes that quality education is a key component of the future success of our students. We are going to work hard to reinforce that the Greene County school system becomes the best in the state by meeting their needs as well as our teachers and staff.”
Lee’s seat has been filled by Dr.
Maggie Kjer, who holds both an M.Ed. in Administration and a Ph.D in Education from Capella University in Minnesota.
She is expected to complement the board with her experience in special needs and children with behavioral and emotional challenges. She last served as director of Clinical Assessment Analytics for Pearson of the U.K. She has been a resident of Greene County for 12 years, having moved here from New Hampshire.
Lee played a significant role in the ongoing negotiations with Lake Oconee Academy and the Board of Education to find successful resolution for the district.
“We all want to work for common and united goals for both Lake Oconee Academy and the district,” he said.
“I have reached out to Lake Oconee Academy, and we have pledged to work together to support common goals in the district.”
Lake Oconee Academy is part of the Greene County School System and is partly governed by the district through a charter that has to be renewed this year.
Lake Oconee Academy has come under scrutiny by the public who question the fairness of its lottery admission process, which appears selective in its historic high white enrollment in a district mostly comprised of African-Americans.
Lynch leaves with good expectations for the District, its new leadership and hopes for the new school he was so instrumental in getting approved with a favorable ESPLOST vote in November.
“I have great faith in the board I am leaving,” Lynch said. “Under the leadership of Dr. Lee, the district will continue to advance the progress we have made to date. I expect Dr. Kjer to contribute to that progress as well, given her experience and advanced degrees in education.”