Gwinnett County Superintendent Calvin Watts sent a letter to parents Wednesday assuring them that he is not planning to leave the school district after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he is one of three finalists in the Atlanta superintendent search.
A spokesman for Watts confirmed to the AJC that he met with the school board and a community panel Tuesday after being recruited by Atlanta’s superintendent search firm. Watts said the same thing in his letter to parents, but added that he plans to stay put for now.
“After much thought and prayer, I have decided that my home is with Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), and I will continue to serve as your superintendent,” the letter reads. “We are making tremendous progress in our strategic plan to provide each and every student with the education they need and deserve. Therefore, I want us to continue our work together as Team GCPS.”
Watts became Gwinnett’s first Black superintendent in 2021 after working for the Kent school district in Washington state. Watts has implemented plans to close achievement gaps, reduce class sizes and increase kindergarten readiness and literacy. However, he’s also also faced criticism for a new discipline policy. In March 2023, the Gwinnett school board voted 4-1 to extend Watts’ contract for two years.
The Atlanta board of education presented three finalists to a community panel Tuesday, who then gave feedback to the board.
The board opened its search process in December after deciding not to extend former Superintendent Lisa Herring’s contract the previous June. Originally, officials planned to have a new leader in place July 1. However, the board extended the search process in April due to an information breach. During a school board meeting June 3, Board Chair Erika Mitchell said the board was “confident” it would complete the process by this fall.
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