Three Richmond County students named to state superintendent's advisory council

Justin Jones, a student at the Academy of Richmond County, will spend the next school year in the room where Georgia decides how its classrooms run. He is one of three Richmond County students named to State School Superintendent Richard Woods' 2026–2027 Student Advisory Council, and he won the seat from a field of 1,427 applicants across Georgia. [fj]

Jones is joined by Makayla Harris of A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School and Donovan Stratford of Hephzibah Comprehensive High School. The three are among 85 students chosen statewide. The Richmond County School System announced the selections on Oct. 8, 2026.

Dr. Malinda Cobb, superintendent of the Richmond County School System, said the selections put local students where statewide education policy is shaped: "We are incredibly proud of Justin, Makayla and Donovan for earning the opportunity to represent their schools and the Richmond County School System at the state level. Our students bring valuable perspectives to conversations about the future of education, and I am excited to see them use their voices, share their experiences and grow as leaders through this opportunity."

A seat earned, not given

These were not automatic appointments. Applicants wrote essays about challenges in education, the experiences that shaped their perspectives, the issues they wanted to discuss with the state superintendent, and their ideas for a service project. Members were selected on the strength of those responses. The council is open to students in grades 10 through 12, and members were chosen to represent rural, suburban, and urban communities across Georgia.

The council's first meeting of the 2026–2027 school year is scheduled for October at the Georgia Department of Education offices in Atlanta. Woods has led the department, which oversees the state's public K-12 schools, since January 2015.

A direct line to Atlanta

Through the school year, the three students will meet with Woods to share their experiences, discuss education issues, and give feedback on how state policies affect students and their plans for the future. They will also serve as ambassadors for the state superintendent and complete service projects benefiting their schools and communities.

What they'll bring to the table

What the students say once they're in the room starts with the essays that earned them the seats. Each applicant had to put down on paper the challenges in education they see from the inside and the issues they want to raise with Woods. Between them, the three students sit in classrooms across Augusta: the Academy of Richmond County, which has taught local students since 1783 and is Georgia's oldest continuously operating educational institution; A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School; and Hephzibah Comprehensive High School. Those are the classrooms the three will be speaking for at the council's first meeting in Atlanta.