Michael Thurmond’s contract
- Runs from Feb. 9, 2013, to Feb. 9, 2014, with the option for termination or extension
- Provides for a base salary of $275,000 annually
- Includes the standard benefits package, plus a $275,000 term life insurance policy paid for by the board
- Provides $2,600 a month for routine expenses
- Allows for use of a school system car or collection of a $750 a month travel allowance
- Goals for his performance will be set by March 15
- If terminated, he'll either be paid the rest of his contract or at least three months' pay
DeKalb County’s interim school superintendent closed out his first day on the job Monday, promising to protect the school system’s accreditation and restore its once-stellar reputation.
“I do not have a magic wand,” Michael Thurmond told parents and teachers during his first school board meeting as superintendent. “But every day we will come with one goal in mind: to become better and to inspire and educate our children.”
Thurmond was named last week to succeed Cheryl Atkinson, who abruptly left halfway through her three-year contract as superintendent of DeKalb, the state’s third largest school district.
School board members said they and Atkinson had reached a mutual agreement and paid her about $114,000 to leave the district, which was placed on accreditation probation in December by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for alleged financial mismanagement, nepotism and meddling by the school board.
The nine-member school board now faces the prospect of being removed en masse by the governor.
Thurmond said he sees an opportunity to preserve the school system’s accreditation and restore its reputation.
“The question is: How badly do we want it and how much are we willing to sacrifice to achieve it?” he told the school board audience.
For their part, parents and others were largely welcoming to Thurmond, though several made clear their anger with some, if not all, members of the school board.
“You have a great task before you,” said parent Willie Pringle. “Our school system needs healing. And since you are at the helm, I’m praying for you.”
Resident Marcia Coward told Thurmond it’s as though a cancer has taken over the school system.
“I am one of the few who believe there is still hope,” she said. “We can’t go back. We must move forward. Student achievement must be the focus.”
Dave Schutten, president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators, warned that there will be “a groundswell of anger from citizens” if school board members file suit, challenging the governor’s authority to remove them.
“If you lose your jobs, you can’t say it’s anybody’s fault but your own,” Schutten told school board members.
Supporters have said Thurmond, an attorney and former state labor commissioner, has the charismatic leadership style to see the school district through these troubling times. Others have raised questions about his lack of k-12 experience.
The school board is paying Thurmond $275,000 to serve as interim superintendent, though the contract signed last week includes options for an early termination or extension.
School board member Nancy Jester told Thurmond the district faces a deficit in academics, credibility and finances.
“They are difficult, persistent problems I hope you will seriously address,” Jester said. “We’re counting on you. No pressure.”
On Feb. 21, the state Board of Education is scheduled to hold a hearing to determine whether to recommend that all of DeKalb ‘s nine board members be removed because of its accreditation problems.
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