The Carroll County Board of Education made history tonight as it unanimously voted to name Dr. Jessica M. Ainsworth the system’s next superintendent, succeeding the system’s longest tenured superintendent Scott Cowart as he retires at the end of June.
Tonight’s vote was expected after the board named internal candidate Ainsworth its sole finalist April 13. State law requires the board to name a finalist at least 14 days before holding a final vote.
Cowart announced his retirement March 19 and will end a 16-year run as superintendent and a 46-year career in education when he leaves office June 30. Cowart brought stability and a deep sense of organizational pride to a district that had six superintendents over the previous 20 years.
“This is a significant moment in the history of Carroll County Schools as we say goodbye to Mr. Cowart, someone whose leadership is almost legendary at this point,” board chairman Kerry Miller said. “But at the ending of this remarkable era, I see a continuation of great days ahead for Carroll County Schools under the leadership of Dr. Jessica Ainsworth.”
Ainsworth has a deep background in education administration and has fully immersed herself in Carroll County since rejoining the system in 2019 as Assistant Superintendent of School Performance. Her role was elevated to Associate Superintendent in 2024.
“I am incredibly grateful and tremendously thankful to be selected to lead Carroll County Schools,” Ainsworth said. “The system is recognized locally, nationally and worldwide due to the success of our students and the hard work of our faculty, staff and administrators. The most important part to me, though, is our focus on positively changing lives. No matter what other recognitions we receive, the personal impact we have on people is what matters most.”
The board of education has moved through a selection process that quickly coalesced around their desire for an internal candidate who understood the district’s schools, people and values.
“The fact that our board unanimously supported a great internal candidate is testament to Mr. Cowart’s leadership and our confidence in Dr. Ainsworth’s ability to keep elevating Carroll County Schools to an even higher level,” Miller said. “It’s also a credit to the executive cabinet and really all our employees throughout the school system. Without great employees and the support and by-in of all our stakeholders, you wouldn’t see a board so unified behind Dr. Ainsworth.”
Miller referenced the system’s growth and achievements over the past 16 years under Cowart’s leadership, with a 30-point increase in the district graduation rate as a signature marker.
Cowart leaves Carroll County with a 97 percent graduation rate, multiple honors as a best employer across the county and region, and national STEM certification for all 23 traditional K-12 campuses.
Over just the past 10 years enrollment has increased by nearly 1,600 students to over 16,000 across 23 traditional K-12 schools, two career academies and a campus for alternative programs.
The district opened the J.C. Daniell Operations Center in 2024, creating a unified home for its maintenance, transportation and school nutrition departments, as well as a permanent campus for alternative programs.
Last year the system was one of only 11 systems in the world to be recognized with the System of Distinction Award by Cognia, a global nonprofit school improvement organization that provides quality assurance through accreditation.
Ainsworth – Carroll County’s first female superintendent – inherits a unified system with a 10-year facility master plan, a recent seventh extension of the local SPLOST for education, and financial reserves in line with local peers, Miller said.
“Mr. Cowart has unified Carroll County under the purpose of positively changing lives and with the 24STRONG motto that describes how all the schools work together,” he said.
“We as a board have worked closely with Dr. Ainsworth, especially over the last two years, and we’ve seen the way she works closely with Mr. Cowart and has taken on more system-wide leadership,” Miller said. “The system is headed in the right direction, and Dr. Ainsworth is the right person to continue that upward trajectory.”
Ainsworth didn’t set out to be an educator. In fact, her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University is in Business Administration. After watching the impact that her educator parents had, however, Ainsworth said the business world wasn’t fulfilling her desire to positively impact people.
“I knew something was missing in a career that was focused exclusively on business management, and after seeing my parents make a huge impact on students through teaching, I decided education was the way I would also become a positive pathchanger for people,” Ainsworth said.
“As I look back now though, it’s amazing how that business administration degree is paying dividends,” she said. “A school superintendent wears multiple hats, and those skills I learned in accounting, marketing and human resources classes are definitely vital now.”
After redirecting her career to the classroom, Ainsworth began teaching special education at Villa Rica High School in 2003. Less than 10 years later, she was an assistant principal in the Douglas County School System where she was ultimately recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals as its National Assistant Principal of the Year in 2015.
Ainsworth then worked as Director of Assessment for Douglas County, implementing a new district-wide learning management system and a process for system-wide data analysis, as well as a standardized multi-tiered system of supports for the district.
She moved to a principal position, where her school improved CCRPI scores over 12 points, reduced behavioral referrals through Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports, and implemented autism classrooms that served students across the system.
After 12 years in Douglas County, Ainsworth came home to Carroll in 2019, succeeding Dr. Dana Harman as Assistant Superintendent of School Performance, a role focused heavily on teaching and learning across grade bands including exceptional children’s services, English for speakers of other languages, gifted programs, professional learning for the system’s 2,000 employees, and wraparound services for students.
Ainsworth focused on building and strengthening instructional processes across grade bands, federal programs, gifted education, professional learning, exceptional children’s services, ESOL and MTSS, and increased the system’s customized learning programs for middle and high school students such as Go West Early, the Online Campus, World Languages and Advanced Academic Program of Study.
Since being named Associate Superintendent, Ainsworth has
- Supported the Superintendent in the development of the Board of Education’s annual governance training and professional learning plan, including preparation and execution of work sessions, board meetings, biannual board advances, and alignment with Georgia School Board Association policy updates and best practices for governance
- Managed over $50 million in local, state and federal funds and supported district budgets totaling over $242 million with an emphasis on closing opportunity gaps and building nationally competitive students
- Directed the operations of the district extended cabinet through strategic professional learning, benchmarking visits and accountability cycles
- Developed and implemented comprehensive recruitment and retention strategies, including the hiring and onboarding of key district leaders, principals, and assistant principals
- Increased stakeholder engagement by launching or expanding strategic initiatives including Student Superintendent Ambassadors, Chamber Education Day, Community Conversations, and partnership events across all school clusters to strengthen community trust and collaboration.
Ainsworth has become deeply ingrained in the community, serving on the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, as President of the Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotary Club, and on the Alumni Board for the University of West Georgia.
She’s a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Carroll, Leadership Douglas, and the Superintendent Professional Development program through the Georgia School Superintendent Association.
Ainsworth holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University, a master’s degree from the University of West Georgia, a specialist degree from Jacksonville State University, and two certificates in leadership and a Doctor of Education degree in School Improvement, also from UWG.
Ainsworth will be available for students, families, employees and the public at a meet and greet event from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 11 at the Carroll County Performing Arts Center.
