Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue named William Bradley Bryant, presently a state school board representative for the Fourth Congressional District, as Georgia’s interim superintendent of schools this morning, according to a release from the Georgia Parent Teacher Association.
Mr. Bryant, of Dekalb County, has served as president of the National Association of State Boards of Education, Southern Director and Governmental Affairs Committee Member for NASBE, according to the state Department of Education website.
Prior to his appointment to the State Board of Education in 2003, Mr. Bryant served for 12 years as a member of the DeKalb County Board of Education.
The Associated Press reports that Mr. Bryant will take over when Superintendent Kathy Cox leaves office at the end of the month, serving the remaining six months of her term.
Mr. Bryant also will run as an independent candidate with Gov. Perdue’s backing in the race for state schools superintendent, according to an unnamed official interviewed by the AP.
The Republican party was left in the lurch when Ms. Cox announced last month she was leaving her job early and would not seek re-election, even though the filing deadline had passed to run in the July 20 state primary election, reports state.