Rockdale Citizen

CONYERS -- In addition to having a new superintendent for the school year, Rockdale County Public Schools will have some more administrative changes this year.

After a closed session Thursday, the school board approved the recommendation of Superintendent Richard Autry to appoint Leslie DeMarco, director of Curriculum and Instruction for RCPS, to chief academic officer, a position Autry held until being named superintendent July 1. Board members Jean Yontz and Darlene Hotchkiss were absent from the meeting.

Like Autry, DeMarco will serve over the Office of Teaching and Learning and is supervisor of elementary principals. The appointment is effective immediately.

The position had been posted on www.teachgeorgia.org, and DeMarco was one of 30 people interviewed, according to Cindy Ball, director of Community Relations at RCPS.

DeMarco began with RCPS in July 2004 as a lead instructional coordinator for the system, a position she held until July 2005, when she began in her most recent position. Prior to coming to Rockdale, she worked in Clayton County schools as an instructional specialist, assistant principal and English teacher since 1985.

She holds a bachelor's degree in secondary English education from the University of Georgia, a master's degree in educational leadership from the State University of West Georgia and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership system level from Georgia State University.

Also Thursday, the board approved the resignation of Dr. Linda Sevigny, director of Professional Learning for RCPS.

"After 17 years of employment, it is with mixed emotion that I compose this letter," Sevigny wrote in her resignation letter to Autry. "Pending release from my RCPS contract, I have accepted a position with Norfolk Public Schools. I will serve in the capacity of deputy superintendent of Teaching & Learning."

Previous RCPS Superintendent Samuel King left RCPS July 1 to take the superintendent position in Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia.

Sevigny began in RCPS as a paraprofessional and temporary tutor in 1996 and worked as a teacher from August 1997 to August 2007, when she was promoted to her current position.

Her move will be effective Aug. 31.

Both the positions of director of Curriculum and Instruction and director of Professional Learning have been posted.

Also this month, the board approved on its personnel report the hiring of Joseph Landerman as principal of Shoal Creek Elementary School beginning this month. He was most recently principal of Ola Middle School in Henry County, where he's worked since July 1998, also working as principal and assistant principal of three elementary schools. He's also been a teacher in Social Circle City Schools and was in sales and management from June 1979 to July 1994.

He holds a master of education from Georgia College & State University and a bachelor of Science from Valdosta State University; he is currently in the doctoral program at the University of West Georgia.

He was named a Georgia Distinguished Principal in 2009.

Former Shoal Creek Principal Blake Craft announced his retirement earlier this month, effective Sept. 30, after working in RCPS for 27 years. Craft will assist in a transition period and may be assigned to other projects, schools or departments until his retirement, but that has yet to be specifically determined, according to Ball.