New Houston County School District Superintendent Dr. Richard Rogers outlines priorities

Rogers has worked for the district since 2004, including time serving as a middle school teacher, principal and most recently, deputy superintendent.

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The 2025-2026 school year will begin for the Houston County School District at the end of this month, and the district will have a new superintendent at the helm.

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, including time serving as a middle school teacher, principal and most recently, deputy superintendent. Rogers says he’s thrilled to now be in the district’s top position.

“We love this community,” Rogers said. “It’s a great place to raise a family and to educate your children.”

A key area of focus this year and in the coming years Rogers says is the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). He says a number of elementary school computer science teachers will soon join the national STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program. The district will also open a new STEM academy in 2027.

“We have the Air Force base here in our backyard,” Rogers said. “And we need to make sure that we’re preparing students for the positions on the base. And it begins in kindergarten.” 

At Tuesday’s board meeting, the school board approved a adopt a ballot measure for the continuation of the county’s ESPLOST. This means Houston County voters will decide on the penny per dollar sales tax this November, which was originally adopted in the 1990s. If passed, Rogers says the $275 million the county raises will go toward building a new elementary school and renovating the county’s middle and high schools, all while keeping the millage rate steady.

“It’s important that we’re able to collect the sales taxes instead of having to raise taxes on the home properties,” Rogers said. 

One of the challenges the new superintendent identified include the current withholding of federal education funds, which impacts Professional Learning and the Migrant Education Program. But Rogers says the district always has a backup plan and is ready to fulfill the needs of each student.

“We say all means all and we mean that,” Rogers said. “So, we’ve got to figure out how do we reach each child so that he or she can reach their full potential.”