NEWTON COUNTY — Newton County Schools (NCS) is setting the stage for numerous principal shakeups to go into effect next school year.
At the Tuesday night NCS board of education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Duke Bradley announced two new principals confirmed to be taking over at Newton High School and Clements Middle School.
Bradley announced that Dr. Stephen Hammock will serve as the new Newton High School principal starting in the 2025-26 school year.
“Dr. Hammock, welcome, and thank you so much for being with us this evening,” Bradley said. “I hope you’ve got your roller skates on and a megaphone in your car because you’re going to be doing a lot of walking and talking and leading.”
Hammock is currently the assistant principal of Stockbridge High School in Henry County.
According to Hammock’s LinkedIn profile, he has been serving Henry County Schools since July 2023, but has worked in various administrative educational positions since January 2021.
Hammock has held a range of roles in education dating back to 2012, some of which include bus driving, athletic directing and assistant principal. He earned a B.A. in History and Secondary Education from Columbus State University in 2011. He returned to the university twice more, earning his Education Specialist degree in 2016 and his Doctorate of Education in 2021.
Newton High School’s current principal is Dawn Price-Williams. Price-Williams was a new addition to the school, with the board approving her appointment last July and NCS announcing her role on Aug. 22, 2024.
Price-Williams succeeded Dr. Shannon Buff, who moved to the NCS board office after serving as principal since 2017. It is unclear why Price-Williams' stint as principal is coming to an end after only one year.
The second board appointment Bradley announced was the decision to hand over the reins of Clements Middle School to Dr. Veronica Bacote.
“In board action taken earlier this evening, the board approved the appointment of Dr. Veronica Bacote as principal of Clements Middle School,” Bradley said. “We are excited about your leadership, a continuation of the leadership that you have shown this district for so many years, so we thank you and we very much look forward to your leadership and your continued service.”
Bacote is currently the assistant principal of 10th-grade admin and discipline at Newton High School. She is anticipated to make her transition to principal of Clements Middle School for the 2025-26 school year.
Bacote has worked in education for nearly 40 years. She began her career teaching math and social studies in NCS in 1987.
Since then, Bacote has held assistant principalships in both Jasper County and Gwinnett County. She returned to NCS in 2005 and proceeded to serve as an assistant principal at Alcovy High School until transitioning to Newton High School in 2015.
Bacote has a wealth of education under her own belt, having received her initial undergraduate degree from Paine College, then tacking on a master's degree at Brenau University, an Education Specialist degree from Troy State University and rounding them all off with a Doctorate of Education from Georgia Southern University.
Bacote has spent the last decade with Newton High School, but will now be stepping into a principal role at a nearby middle school.
The current principal of Clements Middle School is Phonecia Williams. It is unclear what Williams’ future plans entail. The assistant principal of Clements Middle School, Dr. Martavious Johnson, is also resigning, according to the board of education's personnel report following Tuesday's meeting.
These two appointments are just the beginning of principal replacements that will shake up NCS before the next school year.
According to a personnel report following the Feb. 26 board of education meeting, the board has approved the resignation of Dr. Kristopher Williams, the current principal of Alcovy High School. Dr. Thomas Lowe, one of Alcovy’s assistant principals, is also resigning.
Reasons for Lowe and Kristopher Williams’ exits are unclear.
