Dysfunctional school boards. Enraged communities. Lagging test scores. John Thompson and Santiago Wood have tackled all of these, but do they have what it takes to salvage Clayton County schools' accreditation?

The Clayton County School Board seems to think so.

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In the next two weeks, the board is expected to offer a contract to Thompson or Wood to serve as temporary superintendent for the next year. The new superintendent's sole mission will be to hold on to accreditation by meeting a Sept. 1 deadline to comply with nine mandates from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Education professionals who know the two men say Clayton County can't go wrong either way: Each boasts previous experience in quickly turning around struggling school systems.

"They've both been fire-tested," said Paul Houston, the executive director of the Virginia-based American Association of School Administrators. "I think they're both capable people. It's just a matter of who's going to be a better fit for the county."

While the two bring a combined 75 years of educational experience, they also come with some blemishes — terminations, questionable spending and rough personalities.

But that's just part of the job, Houston said. Urban superintendents' tenures are usually less than three years.

"You don't run these big districts without turning up some rocks," he said, "and having some people throw some rocks at you before it's all over."

Finding someone who has "no dog in the fight" is the only way to work through accreditation issues, said Tom Hagler, who served as a superintendent in Lowndes and Bibb counties for a combined 33 years.

"You need a real strong administrator who has no ax to grind, no loyalties and is just about getting things done," said Hagler, who is credited with salvaging Lanier County schools' accreditation while serving as interim superintendent from June 2006 to June 2007.

JOHN THOMPSON

Thompson, 63, has served as superintendent at large, urban school districts in Tulsa (1994-2000) and Pittsburgh (2000-2005). He now works as an educational consultant and lives in Greensboro, N.C.

By some accounts, he was polarizing in Pittsburgh, where he was the first African-American superintendent.

Thompson declined comment when reached Tuesday and did not return messages left Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Supporters in Pittsburgh appreciated his blunt, authoritative manner, crediting that decisive style in helping the city close more than 20 schools to save millions of dollars and transform a budget deficit into a surplus.

Under his leadership, a new citywide curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade was implemented, dropout rates declined and graduation rates climbed.

But the 6-foot 5-inch former high school basketball coach and stylishly dressed Thompson rubbed some people the wrong way.

Critics accused him of arrogance in a take-no-prisoners style that wasn't conducive to building consensus.

They also cited an overall decline in the city's standardized test scores and questioned Thompson's use of a school credit card on office renovations, a wardrobe and 24-hour access to a Lincoln Town Car.

The school board declined to renew Thompson's contract in 2005.

Pittsburgh school board member Patrick Dowd told the Florida Times-Union in August 2005 — he was interviewing for a job in Florida at the time — that Thompson had an "imperial style of leadership [that] steadied the district."

However, Dowd told the newspaper he voted against retaining Thompson because of an academic achievement gap, financial concerns and managerial issues.

"He thinks he knows everything and he's always right, and if you don't agree with him, he's going to fight you," board member Jean Fink told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December 2004.

Efforts to reach Dowd and Fink were unsuccessful.

School board member Mark Bentley Sr., who is black — Dowd and Fink are white — said race was a factor.

"This is Pittsburgh," Bentley said by phone last week. "This is a very, very racist town, especially when it comes to appointing or electing African-Americans to positions of leadership."

Bentley credited Thompson with a number of innovations, including an annual back-to-school celebration. Bentley also noted that Thompson and his wife quietly "adopted" a public school student each year and financed his or her college education.

Bentley said he thought Clayton County would be lucky to have Thompson.

"I think about him all the time," Bentley said. "I wish we had him back here."

Before going to Pittsburgh, Thompson enjoyed mixed success in Tulsa.

While he was superintendent, the city ranked below the national and state average for high school students taking the ACT, the college entrance exam widely used in Oklahoma. That prompted then-Gov. Frank Keating to publicly criticize the Tulsa school district.

Yet Thompson was largely seen as responsible for whittling down the city's number of troubled schools, pushing to have advanced placement classes in all city high schools and promoting more parental involvement in district decision-making.

It was during Thompson's tenure that voters approved two bond issues for the first time in 20 years, allowing for the construction of a school and renovations at others.

Tulsa school board member Mark Barcus, who is white, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he believed Thompson related well to families and residents, regardless of race.

"He's been good about reaching out to different communities, and he's been willing to say when race is an issue and needs to be talked about," Barcus told the paper in February 2000.

Thompson has asked Clayton for a $275,000 salary and up to $2 million for a consultant team, along with 24-hour security and 24-hour access to a car and driver.

Thompson lists a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; a masters' degree in educational administration from North Carolina A&T University; and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Livingstone College in North Carolina.

SANTIAGO WOOD

Being the seventh of 10 children meant Santiago Wood learned at a young age the value of having a plan to get things done.

The Panamanian-born Wood, who is fluent in English, Spanish and French, has taken a similar approach to his 32 years of educational experience. He welcomes the opportunity to help turn things around in Clayton County.

"I think that district needs some good, strong leadership, with the political will, strength and depth to engage that community," he said last week. "I was brought in to restructure things. It does take time, and it's tough. I'm not naïve."

But Wood, a 59-year-old former chairman of two accreditation agencies, is optimistic he can do it — and has already started.

Since coming into consideration for the job two weeks ago, Wood has immersed himself in the accreditation controversy, reading local news coverage and touring Clayton neighborhoods to talk with residents.

He said long-term strategic goals and immediate action plans are necessary to prove the district is "working in good faith" and worthy of retaining its accreditation.

Wood said he would focus on recruiting and hiring top-notch personnel, including teachers and administrators.

"We have to first see how many people we have on the bus," he said. "Those that want to get off the bus can get off the bus, then we'll point the bus in the right direction. It'll be tough, but we can do it."

His most challenging task, however, would be to change what he calls a culture of incompetence.

Wood has already fast-forwarded to that future date, speaking wistfully of informative monthly meetings with all the county's principals and school board leaders.

"I'm going to Clayton County with the thought everybody is a value and everybody can contribute," he said. "Until they prove me otherwise, that's what I'm going to think."

Wood comes with experience in such matters.

As the deputy superintendent for the West Contra (Calif.) Unified School District from 1992-96, he helped reform a financially mismanaged, educationally bankrupt school district. In the late 1980s, West Contra was the first district in California history to be taken over by the state.

Wood, a former banker and a licensed international real estate broker, went on to become superintendent of schools in the Alum Rock School District in San Jose (1996-2000) and in the Fresno Unified School District (2000-2004). He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and has worked as an educational consultant since 2004.

On his resume, Wood cites the leaps Fresno students made on standardized tests, the increased graduation rates and the implementation of algebra for 7th- and 8th-grade students.

Wood also lists a major school construction project in Fresno and a reduction in truancy. His term ended in 2004 after high school students staged a walkout in protest of shoddy textbooks and rats on campus and the state discovered falsified construction reports, the Fresno Bee reported in July 2004.

The district was forced to repay $3 million to the state after an audit revealed school officials falsified state reports. Twenty-four of the school system's projects did not have contracts in place within 18 months of the funds being allocated as required by law, according to the newspaper.

Wood won't talk about the controversy, other than to say he did nothing wrong. However, his abrupt resignation with a hefty severance package continues to be a source of concern for some.

He was one of two finalists for the superintendent's job in Indian River (Fla.) County last year when an independent investigation by one school board member essentially killed his candidacy, according to local news reports.

That board member, Debbie McKay, last week declined to comment or disclose what her investigation found other than to say, "I would absolutely advise somebody to do due diligence [on Wood]."

Wood said the decision to leave Fresno was mutual.

"You get to that point in any large urban school district," he said. "When you're doing an effective job, you're going to have situations where you're going to rub people the wrong way."

Wood has asked for $185,000 salary, a $2,500 monthly housing stipend and a $650 monthly car allowance.

He lists a law degree and a masters' in business administration from Armstrong University in California and a doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco. Wood received a bachelor's in business administration from Armstrong University in 1972.