It's the fourth quarter, and there are two seconds left. Clayton County schools are down and need a miracle to win.

"Give me the ball," said John W. Thompson, the troubled district's new superintendent.

"I want the ball. As long as I've got that ball, I've got control."

But winning this game might be the most difficult shot the former basketball coach and player has taken in his 40 years as an educator.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools told the Clayton school system they will lose accreditation if they do not meet nine mandates by Sept. 1.

Thompson said he'll do it by July 15.

"We feel we can meet the deadline in an aggressive way," Thompson said Thursday during an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We established the deadline in the office, in and around July 15, because it's D-Day for Clayton County."

But for parents, D-Day is next week. That's when school lets out, and they must decide whether to stay in Clayton.

"We're still up in the air," said Vernetta Reeves, a Jonesboro mother of three.

Vernetta and her husband still are trying to decide whether to send their oldest daughter, Genetta, back to Jonesboro High School for her senior year. Genetta, who has a 4.0 grade-point average and hopes to go to Duke University, posted goodbyes to her friends on her MySpace page.

"My concern is if I leave her there, will she have the same opportunities?" asked Reeves, who is running for the school board. Thompson hopes people will be patient.

"A lot of people are going to have to hang in there with us," he said. "The biggest mistake you could make is to pull a kid out of school and put them in another social environment."

But many parents think the reforms are too little too late.

They say the actions of the board over the past few months have confirmed that the district will not meet the deadline. Two state board of education members appointed by the governor to help Clayton have resigned, saying that the board will lose accreditation.

Even the board's ex-chairman and a leading education attorney have expressed their doubts about maintaining accreditation. The two resigned after outrage over what they call unethical behavior from the board.

And the schools association said Thompson, who began April 28 in Clayton County, is not the man for the job —- he has no experience in Georgia.

Thompson, who has served as superintendent in Pittsburgh and Tulsa, Okla., said he has heard the criticism but is not buying it. He has to be confident for the 52,800 Clayton students, he said.

He admits it may be "a little too late" but said he has seen a change: The school board is taking his advice and working together. They now are the best board he's ever worked with, he said.

Thirty-four people are running for seven board seats.

The district is conducting pre-election leadership workshops so interested candidates can learn the role of the board.

"I will not tolerate micromanagement," Thompson said. "They're paying me, as you well know, a nice salary to be here and run the school district. Let me run the school district and hold me accountable."

Thompson's 14-month contract is worth about $400,000, with a $285,000 salary and other perks.

Thompson has assembled 10 people to review the corrective action plan. The team is comprised of the district's leaders and six retired or current superintendents, including administrators from Denver and Memphis.

He also has met with the association's president, state Board of Education members and community leaders.

In addition to meeting the mandates, Thompson said he is working to improve test scores, remove gangs and be a "guardian angel of the taxpayers' money." His goal is to make Clayton County a "world-class school district."

"We're not shooting for probation. We're shooting for the real deal," he said. "We're going to have our act together."