Editorial Note: This article contains inaccuracies regarding Richard Woods’ tenure in office, ignoring his 2014 election and first term. It is currently under review by our editorial team.
Incumbent State School Superintendent Richard Woods secured the Republican nomination for a third term on Tuesday night, easily dispatching a primary challenger to advance to the November general election.
Woods will face Lydia Powell, a former DeKalb County middle-school principal and education-policy advocate, who won the Democratic nomination in an uncontested race. The general election matchup sets up a clear contrast between an incumbent who has championed a conservative education agenda — including expanded school choice and the science of reading — and a challenger who has focused on equitable funding, teacher pay, and reducing standardized testing.
Woods’s record
Woods has served as Georgia’s elected school superintendent since 2015. During his tenure, he has overseen the rollout of the state’s science-of-reading initiative, expanded career-technical education programs, and advocated for the bell-to-bell device restrictions that take effect July 1.
His supporters credit him with stabilizing state testing and improving graduation rates, which have risen to above 84 percent statewide.
Critics — including some rural school-board members — say his office has been slow to address chronic underfunding of the Quality Basic Education formula and has not done enough to recruit and retain teachers in high-poverty districts.
Powell’s pitch
Powell, who spent 22 years in DeKalb County schools before moving into policy work, has centered her campaign on three pillars:
- Updating the QBE formula to account for student poverty and the true cost of educating children in underserved communities
- Raising teacher pay to competitive levels with neighboring states, particularly for early-career educators
- Reducing testing burden by advocating for fewer standardized assessments and more classroom-based formative evaluations
“We’ve spent a decade talking about what children should know. It’s time to invest in the adults who teach them.”
— Lydia Powell, in a primary-night statement
The stakes
Georgia’s school superintendent is one of only a handful of statewide education offices still decided by popular vote rather than gubernatorial appointment. The winner will oversee a public-school system of more than 1.7 million students across 181 districts, manage the Georgia Department of Education, and serve on the State Board of Education.
The November 3 general election is expected to draw significantly higher turnout than Tuesday’s primary, particularly in metro Atlanta’s suburban counties where education policy has become a defining issue for voters.
Lena Bishop covers state politics and the Georgia General Assembly for WACN 21. Reach her at lbishop@wacn21.com.
