The Decatur County Board of Education concluded the first round of interviews of prospective superintendent candidates on Wednesday. Henry Cooper of King-Cooper and Associates, who is assisting the school board in the search, confirmed that all six candidates that were interviewed are from the state of Georgia. The original applicant pool included 28 candidates, 22 of whom where from Georgia.

“I think it’s a good pool of candidates,” Copper said. “Each brings a special trait and talent to the table. Overall it’s a very good group of people they have interviewed. It will be a tough decision.”

Cooper said that he and the board are currently working on scheduling second interviews with four of the six candidates that were brought in during the first round. He also applauded the board for the way they have handled the process up to this point though.

“They’re methodical in what they’re doing,” Copper said. “They know they need an excellent leader for their system.”

board chairman Sydney Cochran said that it will be a difficult decision to decide between the candidates.

“They were all mighty good,” Cochran said. “It’s a very good group of candidates.

The second round of interviews is expected to place sometime in the next two weeks, but the timeline is dependent on the Bainbridge High baseball schedule and the availability of the candidates.