GERALD GOOSBY was appointed Tuesday to fill the remainder of Laura Register’s position on the Grady County Board of Education. (submitted photo)
The Grady County Board of Education has appointed Gerald Goosby to fill the District 3 seat vacated by Laura Register. Under the official board action, Goosby will hold the seat for the remainder of Register’s term, which expires at the end of this calendar year. Goosby and any other person in the district who wants to run for a full term on the board, will have to qualify in March for the election, which will take place in May. Goosby says he does plan to run for the full term.
Goosby is a resident of the Beachton community in South Grady County, residing at 961 Metcalf Beachton Rd., Thomasville. A 1991 graduate of Cairo High School, Goosby has two sons who are also C.H.S. graduates, a daughter who is a freshman, and another daughter who attends Washington Middle School.
“I’m a stickler for education. I always want to see the younger generation coming through Cairo High School have an opportunity to set a solid foundation,” says Goosby, 46.
Goosby, himself, has multiple degrees, including a bachelor’s from Valdosta State University in political science, and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Florida State University. He is currently the planning manager for the Florida Department of Transportation’s Strategic Intermodal System office. “Education is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter how much money you have; if kids have the interest, they have the potential to learn,” he says.
The son of a retired teacher, Goosby says education was always stressed when he was growing up. His mother, Doaries Smith, also of Beachton, retired from the Grady County School System about five years ago, according to her son. Goosby says he also learned the value of work from his late father, Frank Goosby, a brick mason. “I worked with my father when I was in school. It’s grueling, hard work, and that’s another reason I went to college,” he says.
For several years, Goosby has begun attending meetings of the Board of Education routinely. “You see a lot of good that goes on in the school system, but I also see things that can be enhanced to make things better for everybody,” he said during a telephone interview Tuesday night after his appointment. “I feel like I have some ideas. . . I feel I have a lot to give back.”
The Board of Education had called for all parties interested in being considered for the District 3 appointment to submit letters to the board office by Dec. 30, 2019. Goosby was the only candidate to apply, and during a special called meeting of the school board Tuesday, members voted unanimously to appointment him to the position. He will be the first African American man to serve on the B.O.E., and once he is sworn in, the board will have two African Americans serving at the same time for the first time.
“Mr. Goosby has been coming to school board meetings under three superintendents,” said Teresa Gee Hardy, vice chairman. “He’s shown an interest in our school system for a number of years.”
Dr. Kermit Gilliard, superintendent of Grady County Schools, said he would coordinate with Grady County Probate Judge Denise Maddox to schedule Goosby’s swearing-in, hopefully prior to the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Goosby lives in Beachton with his wife, Leslie, and their two daughters, India and Gianna. Goosby’s son Cameron lives in Fort Valley, and son Ramsey Williams lives in Cairo.
Laura Register resigned from her position on the board of education due to an increase in work travel commitments.
