The office of the county school superintendent underwent significant changes during the last decade of the twentieth-century. Historically, the county superintendent was an elected official, unless a local act provided otherwise, accountable directly to the voters. When the county board of education was appointed by the grand jury, the superintendent had considerable autonomy to manage the daily affairs of the school district, with the board of education often serving primarily an advisory function. As more and more county school districts chose to elect their boards, superintendents often found themselves at odds with the board with each often contending that the other was infringing upon the authority of their office.

In 1992, the voters in Georgia ratified a constitutional amendment which required all local school boards to be elected and all superintendents to be appointed by this elected board. The election of the local board which, in turn, hires the superintendent has changed the dynamics of how school districts are governed, although the provisions of the state constitution and the various school laws setting out the duties of the local board and superintendent have not changed significantly since 1945. Some boards and superintendents continue to debate whether the board too often invades the province of the superintendent and attempts to micromanage the school district or whether the superintendent fails to consult and involve the board in major decisions affecting the school district. Georgia law sets forth no bright lines dividing the authority and responsibility of the board and superintendent. However, the debate is rarely confined to what the law provides. Rather, the debate most often is cast as to how each, ideally, can best participate in the leading or governing of the school district.