Samuel DePaul.

With Colquitt County Superintendent Samuel DePaul withdrawing his name as a finalist to head the Dougherty County School System, that left that system’s interim David Mosely as the only remaining choice between the two finalists.

The Dougherty County School Board named Mosely as superintendent on Monday, with DePaul deciding to stay here.

“I decided I needed to stay here,” DePaul said in a telephone interview. “I’d been thinking about it and praying about it.”

DePaul, who is in his second year with the Colquitt County School System, said he mulled his decision over spring break week before withdrawing his name over the weekend.

The way he has been received here was a major factor, he said.

“I just felt like I wanted to remain dedicated to the district,” DePaul said. “The board and community have been very good to me. Coming in as a stranger, everybody has been supportive and welcoming.”