Forsyth County Schools Board approves two principals, announces February meeting dates

The Forsyth County Board of Education approved two principal assignments for the 2026–2027 school year and posted February meeting dates, moves that will shape leadership at Big Creek Elementary and Lakeside Middle and set the calendar for public oversight this month.

Board members approved the appointments during a two-day retreat held Jan. 29–30 at Atlanta Tech Park in Peachtree Corners, where trustees met with principals from elementary through high school to discuss challenges facing schools. The retreat included sessions where administrators raised concerns about staffing and school autonomy, and leaders aimed to strengthen relationships between board members and school staff, according to reporting from Appen Media.

The newly approved principals are Rob Dugan, currently assistant principal at North Forsyth Middle School, who will serve as principal at Big Creek Elementary for the 2026–2027 school year; and Rebecca Hewitt, currently assistant principal at East Forsyth High School, who will move to Lakeside Middle School as principal for 2026–2027. The approvals were made at the retreat; the district has not provided vote counts or more detailed implementation timelines in the materials supplied.

Looking ahead, the district’s work session schedule lists a work session on Feb. 10, 2026, at 5:00 PM. The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is Feb. 17, 2026, at the Professional Development Center, 1120 Dahlonega Highway, Cumming. Forsyth County Schools posts a full 2026 calendar of work sessions and monthly regular meetings, and notes that work sessions begin at 5:00 PM. Regular monthly meetings call to order at 5:00 PM and move into Executive Session, with the public portion beginning at 6:00 PM. Meetings are normally held in the 112-seat meeting room on the first floor of the Professional Development Center. Meeting videos can be viewed live on the district’s YouTube channel, and questions about board meetings should be directed to Suzy Mayo.

For Forsyth residents, new principals and these meetings matter for day-to-day operations and longer-term planning. School leaders influence staffing, school culture and program priorities, and the staffing and autonomy concerns raised at the retreat suggest board discussion this spring may focus on recruitment, retention and local decision-making authority. Those topics carry fiscal implications for the district budget and for how resources are allocated across elementary and middle schools in the county.

The coincidence of a County Commission work session also scheduled for Feb. 10 may complicate public availability for local officials and community members, so residents planning to attend in person should confirm logistics. Watch the Feb. 10 work session or the Feb. 17 meeting on the district’s video feed, or contact Suzy Mayo for details. Expect the board to formalize personnel paperwork and to address staffing-autonomy items as it moves into the budget and policy cycle for 2026–2027.