South Fulton County residents told the man chosen as the county's new school superintendent on Tuesday night that they're frustrated by the years of inaction in dealing with the problems surrounding their schools.
"We have lost hope," Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards said, explaining why a capacity crowd did not show up at Westlake High School for a public forum with Robert Avossa, the finalist for the superintendent's job.
Instead only a couple hundred parents and community leaders came out to meet Avossa, who was picked by the Fulton County School Board to succeed retiring Superintendent Cindy Loe and become the county's seventh superintendent in 14 years.
A second meet-and-greet session is planned Wednesday night on the county's north side. The meetings are part of a 14-day public comment period held before the school board can formally tender the position to Avossa.
Edwards and others told Avossa that he's coming into what amounts to two separate school systems. The long-standing contention that students and schools on the less affluent south side are not treated as well as those on the wealthier north are supported by everything from SAT scores to the way teachers are treated, Edwards said to loud cheers from the audience.
Gornatha Ross, a Hapeville Elementary kindergarten teacher, appeared to fight back tears when she asked Avossa if he had a plan for making teachers feel more valued.
Avossa said he intends to spend the first several weeks on the job listening.
In a nod to some residents' concerns about the high superintendent turnover, he said his plan is to be in the job long enough to raise his family, not just two or three years.
Robin Suter, a parent and former educator who attended the meet-and-greet session, said that longevity has been a concern.
“I’ve been in the district for eight years, and he’s probably No. 6,” Suter said of Avossa, 39, who has been the chief strategy and accountability officer for the 135,000-student Charlotte-Mecklenberg school district.
“Many parents are extremely frustrated with the revolving door,” she said.
The crowd asked Avossa a range of questions on topics from baggy pants to plans for Fulton to become the state's largest school district.
Although he fielded a question on his general view of testing, no one brought up a regimen of 52 tests that was started in North Carolina at Avossa’s urging and given to all students in all grades, and has opposition. Avossa has said the tests were designed to help school leaders better track the performance of each student and teacher, and then direct resources where needed.
The initiative is now under fire in Charlotte from parents and teachers who said it’s a waste of time and money, especially given the tough economic times and cuts that have been made to school budgets. Charlotte-Mecklenburg began the testing a few weeks ago. However, a petition drive has gathered almost 2,000 signatures demanding that the local school board reverse its endorsement of the tests.
Avossa said testing definitely has a place, but said he understands teacher frustration about testing taking away from valuable teaching time.
Before moving to North Carolina, Avossa was a teacher and principal for more than a decade in Florida schools.
Loe was hired as superintendent of the 92,000-student Fulton school district in June 2008, after the job had changed hands several times, with some lasting in it only for a few months.
Her decision to retire after the current school year came as a surprise to many, including Suter, who thought Loe considered the superintendent’s position her dream job and would stay in it for many years.
Suter said she's now convinced that some of the turnover e might have been caused by a disconnect between the superintendent and some school board members.
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