Interim Superintendent Erroll Davis met Wednesday for three hours with Atlanta school board members in an orientation session that coincided with a forum introducing two superintendent finalists to the public.
"I need to get in and get started reading," said Davis, who officially takes the job Friday and already is committed to morning-long meetings that day with his new staff. "I don't know if I will push the limits of tolerance but I will forge ahead."
Wednesday's meetings involved firsts on two fronts: For Davis, who retires as University System of Georgia chancellor on Thursday, it was his first chance to have a lengthy discussion with the school board about what he, and the board, should expect. He met earlier in the day with departing city Superintendent Beverly Hall, who was not present for the board meeting. Hall's last day is Thursday, and she has not shared her future plans with staff.
For the two women who want to replace her -- Cheryl L.H. Atkinson, superintendent of Lorain City Public Schools in Ohio; and Bonita Coleman-Potter, deputy superintendent of Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland -- it was the first time they could make a pitch publicly about why they want the job.
Both are experienced in big districts and small. Atkinson stressed her third-generation roots as an educator, talking repeatedly about relationship-building and being visible and hands-on in her leadership. "I don't say what I don't mean," she said.
Coleman-Potter, a former middle school teacher, has a deep background in policy but also emphasized personal engagement, referring often to her experience as a mother to a 13-year-old and as a first-generation college graduate.
"One of the most disappointing things you can hear is when you ask your child what he learned in school today and he says, "Nothing,'" Coleman-Potter said.
Both have been in Atlanta since Tuesday, when they spent all day in closed-door interviews with the board. They used part of Wednesday to tour select APS schools and facilities before facing a standing-room-only crowd at district headquarters downtown.
Staff reports from the candidate visits mirrored what happened at the forum: Atkinson, who appeared stiff at first, warmed up as she kept talking, and was direct, and no-nonsense in approach. Coleman-Potter, who staff said made a beeline during the tour to talk with them and students, was polished, personable and studied in Atlanta-specific issues.
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