Clayton superintendent keeps his job

John Thompson will continue as Clayton County schools’ superintendent. The school board voted 6-1 Monday night to make Thompson the unaccredited school district’s permanent superintendent.

Board member Michael King voted against Thompson staying and tried to get the board to terminate his contract.

Clayton County schools headlines:

• Photos: Timeline of Clayton schools' woes

• Union members protest Clayton school pick 
• Retired Marine says he's a contender for Clayton schools chief 
• Clayton poised to hire retired Marine as superintendent 
• Clayton schools regain accreditation 
• Clayton schools to get $25M in federal aid 

• AJC editorial: Less hope

• Read the full report to SACS:
  • Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Large PDFs)



• Read SACS' report (PDF)

Clayton County news

The new contract removed Thompson’s ability to violate board policy and circumvent board authority and changes his title from corrective to permanent superintendent.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the 50,000-student district’s accreditation effective Sept. 1, citing a dysfunctional board and a superintendent with too much power.

SACS also criticized the district for not having a permanent superintendent.

The previous school board hired Thompson in April as the district’s corrective superintendent, with a plan to undergo a national search for a permanent leader. The board gave Thompson a 14-month contract with a $285,000 salary, 107 vacation days and $2,000 monthly housing stipend. The contract expires at the end of June.

The district has pledged to meet nine improvement mandates by April to have accreditation reinstated. That would allow Class of 2009 graduates to receive an accredited diploma.

However, one of SACS’ mandates requires Clayton “conduct a legitimate, professional search that results in securing the services of the best available candidate as the next superintendent.”

On Monday, King urged the board to terminate Thompson and comply with SACS’ recommendation for a search for a permanent superintendent.

“What this modified agreement will do, it will remove Dr. Thompson’s status from corrective to permanent until June 2009. In doing so you will be appointing him a permanent superintendent without a legitimate national search as required by SACS,” King said. “You’re going to be on a long way to get your accreditation reinstated by Sept 1, 2009.”

Thompson told the board he would give “150 percent” to save accreditation and work with all board members, including King.

Clayton resident Linda Granger said the board’s decision will hurt the district’s efforts to have accreditation reinstated.

“That’s not what SACS wanted,” Granger said after the meeting. “They voted for what they wanted, not in the best interest of the children.”

Board vice president Jessie Goree said the decision to retain Thompson may not please everyone in the community, but it is necessary.

“We are making a decision tonight to go forward for our children,” Goree said. “If we go through this whole process for a search, we will be without leadership.”

Earlier Monday, the school board learned the district has received an alternative accreditation, certifying the academic soundness of the troubled school district.

The Georgia Accrediting Commission announced Monday that it had accredited each of Clayton’s 64 public schools. The accreditation is retroactive to July 1, 2008, and is valid for five years, said Carvin Brown, GAC’s executive director.

Clayton County Schools turned to GAC after SACS revoked accreditation

The benefit of being accredited by GAC is that Clayton students will be allowed to more easily transfer their credits to other public high schools in Georgia and may have a better chance of being accepted to a public university in Georgia, Brown said.