The Greene County Board of Education enters the new year with a new chairman. Otho Tucker will serve his first meeting as chairman on Jan. 16.
“I would like to thank the community for its overwhelming support during the election process. I will do my best to show their support was not misguided,” Tucker said about becoming chairman.
The former CEO of Lake Oconee Academy said he looks forward to supporting the needs of all Greene County students.
“I hope to ensure that all students have the opportunity to meet their needs within the school framework,” Tucker shared. “This means giving more students the flexibility to take the courses they need no matter where they are offered, thus optimizing student success. Students need to be able to take courses taught by the best teachers we have to offer and show their preparedness through content mastery.”
“Greene County has the capacity to meet the needs of all students,” he added.
Tucker said his over thirty years of experience in education and public/charter school relations have prepared him to effectively lead the Greene County School System.
His experience includes teaching elementary, middle, and high school students and building, overseeing, and planning schools at each level.
Tucker previously led the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools, overseeing over 100 schools. Tucker also served on the National Charter School Authorizers Board for a term before becoming chairman of the National Charter School Institute Board.
“During those years, I worked with traditional and charter school boards to create a better working relationship between and among the entities,” he noted. “I hope to bring that experience to the Greene County School System, which comprises traditional public schools, a charter-like College and Career Academy, and a startup charter school, Lake Oconee Academy.”
Tucker said working with Greene County stakeholders will be paramount to serving students and fostering economic development.
“Economic development is imperative to the success of this community and the leveling of the tax burden for its citizens,” he explained. “The backbone of these changes must include the support of the entire school system in conjunction with the development authority, the county commissioners, and the people of Greene County to attract business to the community while training a workforce to sustain the needs of the present and future businesses. It is a huge job.
"However, together, we can make positive changes in many areas of this community. The schools cannot act within a silo. We must be partners with our county organizations to bring positive change to Greene County for our students and the rest of the community.”