DeKalb superintendent calls for ‘new level of excellence’ in 2022

The DeKalb County School District will spend the next year striving to increase achievement, Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris said.

Equity, excellence and empowerment will be the focus in 2022, she announced in her State of the District address on Wednesday.

“In short, we are removing the normalization of failure,” the leader of the state’s third-largest school district said. “And we are holding ourselves accountable for a new level of excellence.”

Watson-Harris applauded the community for its commitment to education even as the COVID-19 pandemic created an environment of fear and uncertainty.

She highlighted a year’s worth of accomplishments, but also pointed out areas that will be targeted for improvement in 2022 — such as the application process for new employees, engagement with families, graduation rates, outdated infrastructure and staff pay.

“We are not afraid of additional accountability,” she said. “We are not afraid of additional transparency.”

Watson-Harris was hired as DeKalb’s superintendent in 2020. This was her second State of the District address.