As the latest leader of Habersham’s School System, Superintendent Patrick Franklin said he remains focused on seeing county schools continue to flourish through periods of technological advances and population growth in the years ahead.
Franklin, former assistant superintendent, was selected to replace previous longtime superintendent Matthew Cooper after the announcement of Cooper’s retirement on Jan. 14.
Franklin, 43, served as assistant superintendent for nearly three years and has a 20-year career in various school system roles as an educator.
In the first of several moves since taking over as superintendent, Franklin brought an old vault out of storage and installed it in his new office. The century-old safe — perhaps a symbol of the enduring legacy of the district’s historic school system — was once likely owned by a drug store before being placed in the North Fairview Elementary School building for records-keeping in the early 1900s. North Fairview closed its doors in the early 2000s.
“I thought – ‘How cool is that?'” Franklin said. “That’s over 100 years old. I thought, ‘Let’s put it in here, so it’s part of the system.'”
Background: The first superintendent to graduate in Habersham
Franklin, now married with two children, is a lifelong Habersham County native. He grew up in Habersham and graduated from Habersham Central High School in 1999 before he attended Gainesville State College for his associate’s degree thereafter.
Franklin went on to continue his education at Piedmont College (now Piedmont University). There, he earned a bachelor’s of science in broad field social sciences, a master’s in the art of teaching and a specialist’s degree in teaching and learning – which he achieved in 2008.
In the years to come, Franklin would see a fairly rapid ascension through the ranks to administrative roles within the system.
In 2005, Franklin started his teaching career at South Habersham Middle School, where he taught social studies, history and math. He stayed at South Habersham for around nine years before being offered an assistant principal job at North Habersham Middle School in 2013.
“I just liked working with and teaching the kids,” Franklin said. “Just being able to help motivate them and work with them. When you see them grasp it, apply concepts or understand where we come from in our nation, that’s a big deal.”
Then, in 2015, when a principal position opened at Clarkesville Elementary School, Franklin became the youngest principal in the district at around 32-years-old.
By 2023, Franklin was brought on as assistant superintendent – a position he remained in until he was named as Cooper’s replacement in January.
Franklin credited his mother – a longtime educator – as the source of his inspiration for entering the field of education.
“She was big for me,” Franklin said. “She worked 34-years in special education at Baldwin Elementary. She really pointed me in that direction…she worked with kids, and you just see the joy and the value in it.”
Just the other day, Franklin saw firsthand the lasting impact teachers have across generations: while at church, a former student – now in her early 30s – recalled his class fondly and mentioned her own children are now growing up in Habersham’s school system.
“That means a lot,” Franklin said. “They’ve grown up and have their own lives, and now their kids are coming through (the system). And what you want to do is make it better every time. That’s always the goal – make it better. The joy in it is what brings you back.”
Looking ahead
To plan for potential future growth throughout Habersham, Franklin said the system’s approach will be strategic, incremental and fiscally responsible.
“That’s something we’ve been watching and planning on for years now,” Franklin said. “You want to continue to provide quality space and facilities for your students, but you also don’t want to overburden your taxpayers, either…we want to keep the level of service high but keep the tax rate as low as we can.”
Franklin pointed to recent improvements at Woodville and Hazel Grove elementary schools – as well as a new wing added to Clarkesville Elementary in the last few years – as examples of that strategic planning.
With Habersham Central’s graduation rate at 98%, the highest in the region, as well as top SAT scores and unparalleled student attendance rates in the area, Franklin said he plans to maintain and build on current success when asked about his top priorities.
Other priorities include advancing school safety and improving literacy among elementary students.
“I want to be a top school system in Georgia – not just in our area, but all across the state and I think we can do that,” Franklin said. “…what can we do to help students? The potential is there for (students) to do jobs we don’t even know about yet. But if you have those fundamentals, you can do that. It will all build upon itself.”
Now, with ongoing efforts to keep high school graduates in the community, Franklin described a devotion to sparking opportunity that inspires the youth to stay in Habersham County, just as he has.
“We want more opportunities for our students here,” he said. “That’s one reason I’m really big into economic development and having good jobs and good opportunities for our students that leave – or who want to come back.”
The right pick
Since announcement of his appointment earlier this year, school system officials have consistently described Franklin as the right person for the job.
“I endorse our future superintendent, Mr. Patrick Franklin,” Cooper said in January. “He has been so loyal to me, so loyal to this school system. He’s the hardest working man in the business. He’s a servant leader.”
In March, when asked about his advice to Franklin, Cooper offered these words:
“Mr. Franklin needs to trust his judgment, trust his discernment and trust his instincts,” Cooper said. “Mr. Franklin has a servant’s heart. I would say to Mr. Franklin, ‘Don’t change’ – be who you have been as an assistant superintendent…he needs to continue to show wisdom like he has, continue serving others and continue listening to his heart.”
And as a school system with more than 900 employees, Cooper emphasized collective decision-making as one body.
“Don’t make decisions on your own,” Cooper said as advice to Franklin. “Make decisions as a team. Make sure to seek advice from those around you. It’s not good to make decisions alone.”
On Sunday, April 27, Habersham County Board of Education Chairman Russ Nelson again expressed confidence in Franklin as Cooper’s successor.
“I have extremely high confidence in Patrick Franklin’s ability to lead the Habersham School System,” Nelson said. “He has shown his ability to lead in the role of assistant superintendent over the last 3 years. He is well respected by everyone in the system. I know the Habersham School System will not miss a beat with him at the helm and I look forward to the system reaching new heights with Patrick leading the way.”
“I’m just excited,” Franklin said Wednesday, April 23. “I think we’ve got a great school system, but it’s the people and the students and community members that make it. It’s not things or a building. It’s the folks, and that’s what impresses me.”
