Former Decatur School Board Chair Valarie Wilson was recently hired as the Georgia School Boards Association’s new executive director, replacing Sis Henry who retired last summer after 14 years. The GSBA lobbies the legislature on behalf of the state’s school boards and also trains boards in governance. But during an interview with the AJC Monday, Wilson said her initial job is firming up the Association’s strategic plan.
“For me,” she said, “it’s extremely important to work with school boards in addressing the changing demographics. For the first time the state [enrollment in public schools] is over 50 percent minorities.”
Wilson, who’ll oversee a staff of 40, joined the GSBA in 2009 and was president in 2012-13. She was a member of Decatur’s school board from 2002-13 and was chair 2005-11. The Democratic nominee for state school superintendent, she lost to Republican Richard Woods in last November’s election.
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