CARROLLTON, GA — Tuesday night, Carrollton City Schools Board of Education approved leadership changes for the upcoming school year. Eric Simmons will serve as principal at Carrollton Junior High School, Tabitha Walker will serve as the principal at Carrollton Upper Elementary School, Travis Thomaston will serve as director of Student Engagement for the district, and Ashleigh Paulk will serve in a new assistant principal role at Carrollton High School.
Carrollton City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Albertus is excited for Simmons, Walker, Paulk and Thomaston.
“I am looking forward to watching these individuals grow as leaders in our district,” said Albertus. “They have all contributed to the success of our schools and district throughout their tenure and I know they will do a great job leading and serving our students in their new roles.”
Mr. Eric Simmons
Eric Simmons will be the principal of Carrollton Junior High School beginning next year. Simmons graduated from Carrollton High School in 2003 and has been working for the district for more than a decade. He received his bachelor’s of arts degree in English from Clayton State University in 2008 before going on to obtain his master of arts in teaching. Simmons returned to his alma mater in 2011, where he taught English for five years and served as a basketball, track and cross-country coach for three of those years. Simmons transitioned to Carrollton Upper Elementary School in 2016, serving as an assistant principal for the past six years. Next year, Simmons will move to Carrollton Junior High School to serve as the principal. Simmons is married to his wife, Janey, who teaches courses in the business pathway at CHS and serves as head coach of the CHS dance team. They have two children; Davis, 3, and English, 1 month. They attend Southern Hills: the Church at City Station. Simmons said he is excited for his next chapter at the junior high. “I am looking forward to establishing positive relationships with the students, faculty, and staff of CJHS,” he said. “Many of the students attended CUES and it will be great to reconnect with them. There is a phenomenal team in place at CJHS and I can’t wait to collaborate in the pursuit of student success!”
Ms. Tabitha Walker
Tabitha Walker will join Carrollton Upper Elementary School next year to serve as principal. Walker began her teaching career at Carrollton Elementary School after graduating from the University of West Georgia in 2007. She was a third-grade teacher from 2008-2017. Walker went on to get her master’s of science in education from Walden University in 2012 and then received her specialist in educational leadership in 2017 from Columbus State University. She served as an assistant principal at Carrollton Elementary School from 2017-2019 before moving to Carrollton Upper Elementary School, where she was an assistant principal from 2019-2021. After that, Walker accepted a role as principal for Fayette County Schools where she has worked for the past couple of years. She said she is thrilled to be coming back to CCS. “Carrollton is where I began my career and so many leaders imparted skills and knowledge into me,” she said. “I learned what I know from the leaders in this system and I want to make an impact on the community. The students and families of Carrollton are special — there’s nothing like being a Trojan!” Walker has three children; Landon, 13, Caleb, 9, and Teagan, 8.
Mr. Travis Thomaston
Travis Thomaston will serve as director of Student Engagement for Carrollton City Schools next school year. A Carrollton native who graduated from Carrollton High School in 1997, Thomaston is passionate about the system he says “helped raise” him. Thomaston began his teaching career at Carrollton Junior High School in 2002. He taught seventh-grade science before serving as an assistant principal at Carrollton Elementary School for two years. He moved to Carrollton Upper Elementary in 2012, where he was an assistant principal for four years. In 2016, Thomaston became principal at CJHS. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as principal of CJHS,” said Thomaston. “I’m looking forward to building relationships across the entire district in my new role.” Thomaston’s wife, CeAndra, teaches at CHS, and they have a daughter, Liberty, a sixth grader at CUES.
Mrs. Ashleigh Paulk
Ashleigh Paulk will take on a new assistant principal role at Carrollton High School next year. An alumna of the CHS Class of 2003, Paulk is no stranger to the Trojan Nation. She has a master’s of education degree in school counseling from the University of West Georgia. She has worked for Carrollton City Schools since 2015, first serving as a school counselor for Carrollton High School from 2015-2020 before transitioning to the student support coordinator position for the district. Paulk will head back to CHS next year for a new role as the school’s assistant principal of social, emotional, and mental health needs. She will lead the counseling department in her new position. “We are so fortunate that our system and school leaders recognize and emphasize the importance of supporting the mental health needs of our students,” said Paulk. “While I am most looking forward to returning to CHS, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help contribute to developing a leadership position that focuses specifically on the mental health needs of our students and the support of the school counselors. I am also honored to become a member of the CHS A-Team!” Paulk resides in Carrollton with her husband, David, and their two sons, Jack, 4, and Fletcher, 1.
