The resignations of two north Atlanta school principals surprised parents Thursday and created even more leadership vacancies in a school system going through a major transition.
North Atlanta High School Principal Howard “Gene” Taylor and Sutton Middle School Principal Audrey Sofianos announced this week they will step down this summer.
Their departures mean there are now about 20 principal positions in Atlanta Public Schools to be filled before next school year, leadership openings at one in five city schools.
These principals are leaving as incoming Superintendent Meria Carstarphen is arriving this summer, when she’ll have an opportunity to immediately set the school system’s direction with new hires.
Taylor had planned to resign last fall, saying he felt principals were micromanaged and didn’t have the level of authority they needed. He said at the time he was a “can do” person in a “you can’t” system.
Superintendent Erroll Davis persuaded him to stay following discussions about giving greater support to principals.
Taylor didn't say why he was quitting in a Wednesday email to parents, students and the community, but parents said they sympathized with his previous complaints.
“There’s so much bureaucracy involved nowadays that it’s hard for people to get out of their own way and do what’s best for children,” said Rena Woley, the mother of a freshman at North Atlanta High. “It’s frustrating.”
Taylor didn't return a phone call and email seeking comment Thursday. Sofianos wrote in her message to the community that she needed to focus on her health and her family during the next year.
“The school board and the new superintendent need to get more money into the schools, and they need to give principals the autonomy and resources to be able to do their jobs,” said Patricia Israel, who has two sons in eighth grade at Sutton Middle. “It’s a bigger call to action.”
Atlanta Public Schools was already seeking to fill the jobs of 17 other principals by next school year, 10 of them interim principals. The Georgia Department of Education has told public school districts they need to find permanent “turnaround leaders” in schools receiving federal School Improvement Grants.
“This is an exciting time for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) as we transition to new leadership,” wrote spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green in an emailed statement. “Like all school systems across the country, the APS recruiting season has begun, and it is not uncommon for educators to evaluate their future career plans.”
School board member Cynthia Briscoe Brown said it was a coincidence that Taylor and Sofianos decided to resign about the same time, and she said Taylor’s departure was his choice.
“Transition is often unsettling, but this is a time of great positive transition in APS with a new school board and a brand new superintendent,” Brown said. “We can look at this as an opportunity to move forward.”
Mike Everly, the chairman of the North Atlanta High Local School Council, said Taylor’s struggles with the school system’s central office may have contributed to his decision to resign.
“I think the world of Dr. Taylor. He’s done a phenomenal job … while pushing an uphill battle as it relates to the support he gets from downtown,” Everly said.
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