After months of controversy surrounding its former superintendent, City Schools of Decatur hopes to turn the page to a new chapter with a new leader.
Board of Education members on Tuesday unanimously approved a one-year contract for Maggie Fehrman to serve as superintendent of the 5,600-student school system.
Fehrman, who joined City Schools of Decatur in 2018, replaces former superintendent David Dude, whose contract was terminated by the board in April. Fehrman has been serving as interim superintendent since Dude’s departure.
Dude faces allegations from a lawsuit filed in January by David Adams, a former human resources chief who alleges that in 2017, former Chief Financial Officer Susan Hurst told Adams the school board provided “an improper salary increase” by reimbursing Dude’s expenses without receipts. The lawsuit alleged Dude underreported his time off, meaning he allegedly used vacation dates that were not tracked in the district’s reporting system.
Adams also alleged Dude retaliated against Adams’ efforts to hold Dude accountable when the superintendent questioned Adams’ job performance in an interview with the Decaturish.com. Decaturish, which initially reported on the lawsuit against Dude, said its investigation unveiled evidence supporting the lawsuit’s allegations against Dude.
City Schools of Decatur initially placed Dude on paid administrative leave during an investigation into his business conduct. Dude was hired in 2015 and his base salary is $219,000.
Fehrman began her career in 2001 in Gwinnett County as a seventh-grade teacher at Summerour Middle School. She became the school’s assistant principal in 2005. In 2009, she began serving as assistant principal at North Gwinnett Middle School and in 2014 became principal of Bay Creek Middle School.
Her one-year superintendent’s contract begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2022. Her annual base salary will be $190,000 and upon completion of her one-year service, she will receive a $25,000 bonus, according to the contract.
The contract states City Schools of Decatur will pay Fehrman a $1,000 monthly allowance to cover expenses such as dues to civic organizations or automobile usage related to her job duties.
As superintendent, Fehrman will have 10 days of personal leave that she can use any time during the contract period. The use of personal days must be recorded in the district’s records management system. If the contract is terminated or expires, City Schools of Decatur will pay Fehrman $844.44 per day for the days she has not used by the time the contract ends, according to the document.
Fehrman is also entitled to 12 sick days during the contract period, the contract shows. She will not receive payment for any unused sick days that remain at the end of the contract. However, the district will credit those days to Fehrman through the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia.
