Q&A: Interim schools chief: ‘Expect zero tolerance’

By Nancy Badertscher

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

William Bradley “Brad” Bryant was named Wednesday as interim successor to resigning state Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox. Bryant, an attorney and member of the state school board since 2003, hopes to run for a four-year term as an independent on the November general election ballot.

He responded to a wide range of questions about his interest in the job, the CRCT cheating allegations and other challenges at the state Department of Education.

Q: You will be stepping into the job of state superintendent July 1. Until the governor called you last Monday, had you ever considered that job or running for that office?

A: Until May 17, 2010 — the date of Kathy Cox’s announcement of her resignation — I saw my role on the state education governance team as a member of the State Board of Education.

Q: You haven’t run for elected office since your years on the DeKalb County school board, and, in this race, you have the extra challenge of getting 44,000 verifiable signatures to even get on the ballot. How and when do you begin that process? Are the governor’s people helping you with that? If so, how?

A: The process began when I accepted the governor’s offer. It will be statewide and will be supported by my state board colleagues — and former state board members — who unanimously encouraged me to accept the governor’s offer. I am seeking the help of all Georgians — including the governor — who want to work for children.

Q: Why do you see the job as a good fit for you?

A: I have a clear understanding of educational issues and the partnerships that are required at the local, the state and the national level. I have the respect of a broad range of key stakeholders at each of those levels, and I can deliver the skills necessary to align our resources and deliver results for all of Georgia’s students. I can make the tough decisions, but I will work tirelessly to create solutions that positively impact all stakeholders.

Q: As interim superintendent, and possibly as the elected superintendent, you’ll have to deal with fallout from the investigation into possible CRCT cheating. What’s your view of what was happening?

A: Two possible scenarios: first, individuals who wished to use the system for personal gain; and, second, individuals who believed that they were helping students by creating shortcuts to the hard work that is required for success. Either scenario is patently wrong and hurts our students.

Q: Should the state have seen the pressure to perform building and done more?

A: Georgia was a national leader in detecting and rooting out this condition. The steps taken were aggressive and, in virtually all cases, save APS [Atlanta Public Schools], effective. The situation in APS is being addressed by concerned experts and community leaders and will provide further direction to ensure that this type of conduct is neither serial nor systematic in nature.

Q: What do you think should be the approach for dealing with those who are singled out in the investigation?

A: We should expect a zero tolerance for cheating and should assist our Professional Standards Commission in speedy and appropriate discipline. The State Board [of Education] acted to revoke AYP [adequate yearly progress] status of offending schools and has worked closely with our Governor’s Office of Student Accountability to prevent continued violations.

Q: When you were talking the other day about joining the state Board of Education in 2003, you said conditions were not unlike they were when Sherman made his march on Atlanta. That’s an intriguing statement. Can you elaborate on why and how things were so bad?

A: The conditions referred to were those within the state Department of Education and in the relationship between the former state superintendent [Linda Schrenko], her state board and the key stakeholders in both the executive and legislative branches. The problem was one of leadership by the former superintendent, which created a bunkered mentality within the staff, a wholesale inattention to student needs, an absence of accountability. Further, the conditions led to a state board that was forced out of its constitutional role and into the role of the superintendent due to her abrogation of duties. As a result, the current board — of which I was a member — and Superintendent Cox were offered a unique opportunity to rebuild a healthy system and a student-centered culture based upon high expectations, high rigor and appropriate accountability.

Q: Can you give me a specific or two that you would like to see the state board accomplish in the six months that you are interim state superintendent?

A: 1) Continued progress on our data systems. We have made significant progress but must deliver data to stakeholders — i.e., building leaders, teacher leaders, parents and students — that is diagnostic and helps increase student performance. 2) Finishing the work on local governance standards. With a standards-based approach to their work, we will have a model that makes Georgia a national leader in governance reform. But we have some individuals who serve themselves and adults, and this must be rooted out to properly deliver a quality education to the students. I witnessed firsthand the damage to the community vitality in Clayton County and Warren County based upon dysfunctional behavior of individuals elected to serve children. Other districts are teetering on the brink. We must reverse this trend.

Q: Of all the budget-cutting measures that have been taken by school systems, what do you see as the most detrimental to student learning?

A: For our work at the state board, the most difficult decision has been the issue of length of the school year. It has taken the longest and most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression to place that under the budget knife. If there is a silver lining, it is that we are asking local districts to evaluate those decisions such that we can determine the effectiveness of instructional delivery and not necessarily the number of days or hours of delivery.