DeKalb’s new school superintendent on Monday outlined how she would revamp Georgia’s third-largest school district, and among her solutions was giving more power to principals in hiring teachers.
Receiving unanimous approval at a special meeting, Superintendent Cheryl L.H. Atkinson also said she wanted more flexibility in rewarding employees and a full employee review to make sure the central office wasn’t top heavy.
Board member Paul Womack, while waiting on details, said he liked the idea of allowing a principal to become the CEO of his or her school, with the power to hire teachers rather than having the hiring done at the central office.
“With the greater authority, will come greater accountability,” Atkinson said.
Hired in late August by a split board, with three of the nine members not in favor of her selection, Atkinson faced no opposition to her preliminary plan.
None of the three members who earlier voted against her voiced any blanket criticism of her ideas; in fact, all of the original board dissenters, Don McChesney, Nancy Jester and Pamela Speaks, said they were supportive of what they’ve heard.
“It seems you’ll put more responsibility down to the school-house level,” Jester said. “I like that.”
Specific details of what Atkinson will do are forthcoming, school spokesman Walter Woods said. Monday’s vote didn’t grant Atkinson any new authority either.
“Basically, this is the superintendent’s philosophy moving forward, and she wanted the board to endorse it as she works on a top-to-bottom reform of the system,” Woods said.
Atkinson also wants to use money designated for bonuses to high-performing teachers in other ways. While not eliminating the bonuses, the superintendent said she’d like flexibility in how the money is spent, such as helping pay for additional degrees for teachers.
Her plan includes the hiring of an outside auditing company to do a review of all the school’s jobs and salaries to look for efficiencies and waste, and, where possible, direct more money and resources to the classrooms.
“Our plans are not fully developed, but we’re working on it right now,” Atkinson said.
Atkinson, who headed up a much smaller school district in Ohio, comes to a district rocked by scandal involving former school superintendent Crawford Lewis, a school administrator and others indicted in a financial scheme involving more than $80 million of school construction funds. The district was also stung by academic woes where 22 schools, or about one in six, failed to make the state’s mandated “annual yearly progress” for two consecutive years. That touched off a rush of students transferring to better-performing schools.
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