Meet Houston County Superintendent Dr. Richard Rogers

The Houston County School District begins July 30 for students.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Houston County School District is preparing for a new school year and a new superintendent.

Dr. Richard Rogers began his tenure as superintendent on June 2, replacing Mark Scott, who recently retired. Rogers has worked for the district since 2004, serving as a middle school teacher, principal and, most recently, deputy superintendent.

Rogers spoke with 41NBC about his vision for the 2025-26 school year.

MONICA- Welcome back. We have Houston County Schools Superintendent, Doctor Richard Rogers joining us. Thank you for being here today.

RICHARD- Well, I want to thank you for having me. Appreciate the invitation.

MONICA- I’m excited. We want to get a face to who you are and learn more about you. And so I do have a few questions for you. I want to start off, you know, you are the new superintendent for the Houston County School District, which is absolutely incredible. Now, as head of the district, what should the community and your boards and educators expect from your specific leadership style?

RICHARD- Well, I’ll tell you first of all, we’re going to keep that standard of excellence that’s known in Houston County. But I think one thing unique that I bring to the table is just my care for people. You know, we are students first, but right behind those students are the teachers. The teachers are in the trenches. And I want to know that they know we care about them. Our theme for this 25-26 school year is”Together We Can” and we challenged all teachers. Let’s complete that. And I completed it. My commitment to them is together we can encourage and support one another and I can’t wait as I visit them in the schools to see how they completed their “Together We Can”. So we’re going to take care of one another and we’re going to get the work done. We’re going to have fun.

MONICA-  Alright. I’m excited to see that. Now, how do you recruit and retain educators within the Houston County School District? Tell me about that.

RICHARD-  Well, you know, recruitment begins with reputation. You know, are we professional? Do we treat people right? Do we pay well? And I was so excited that even though our state did not give a raise this year, our local board gave a 1% raise plus a $1,000 dollar supplement to our full time employees. And it will be paid in December, a month when teachers normally spend a little more money. And so we’re excited about that. It’s just about relationships, professionalism, respect. And we’re going to continue that in this tenure.

MONICA- That is incredible. Now you have a reputation for being an academically sound school district. You know that it’s an incredible district now. What do you attribute to your ongoing success now? And how are you going to continue that as the new superintendent?

RICHARD- You know, the success is taking care of all. And when you look at all, it may be having the most rigorous courses the state offers, like we do in our Houston Scholars program. Or it’s our Lindsey Student Support Center, where we have a food bank and clothes, and we take care of those who have hit hard times. So our commitment is you live in Houston County, we’re going to take care of you no matter what the needs are.

MONICA- Now, have you identified any areas of urgent concern as you step into this new role? What’s it looking like in the school district?

RICHARD- Well, when you look at a concern, one thing that’s a little different this year is the federal government is withholding some grants. And we had already put those grants in our budget, and we’re looking at an estimated about 2.4 million. But that’s okay. We are going to move ahead. We actually have a meeting later today and our leaders are getting together. We’re going to look at what can we shift to, because at the end of the day, we’re going to take care of students and staff.

MONICA- So $2.4 million you have to figure out?

RICHARD- That’s correct. But we’re okay. We’re going to be good in Houston County

MONICA- I also want to know, what do you want your district to know about you. You’re a new face. You know, obviously they’ve heard your name, but now you’re into a new role as superintend. What do we need to know about you?

RICHARD- I want them to know that I care. You can reach out to me. I’m a family guy. My wife works in the school district. I have a daughter in the school district. I have a daughter who graduated from the school district. I love the community. I’m here to partner with everyone. I’m here to, you know, listen to you. We’re starting a superintendent advisory council this year. And every teacher of the year from all schools will be on it, and we kick off next week. So really, just for everyone to know that I care about them and that if you need something, let me know. Because together we will take care of the students and staff of this district.