At Issue: How should MARTA best expand into North Fulton County?

But Thurmond is not an educator. He’s a lawyer by trade and is looking to get back to his practice. His contract ends in June. So the board powered ahead and this week named a sole finalist for the position.

Last week we asked you if DeKalb should step back and reassess the seach process, keeping Thurmond on longer or do exactly what they just did.

Here are some of your responses:

Something in between or stay with Thurmond, but do NOT rush the process. — Jean Wynn

I would like to share my support of the Board's decision to move forward and not delay the search. I am a parent of two DeKalb Elementary School children. I am the Co-Vice Chair of Dunwoody Chamblee Parent Council and a founding member of Parent Councils United. The search is far enough along in the process and has identified many qualified candidates. I think DeKalb County needs to move forward. The issues that PROACT is facing in Chicago did not impact this search and DeKalb is ready and poised for a new talented superintendent. The Board of Education took some early suggestions and engaged parents and community members in the search process and also appointed a community group to pre-screen the top candidates. All of these were positive steps in building community support. We need to stand by the Board and support them as they do the final steps of this search. We are in need of new leadership. Michael Thurmond did what he was appointed to do, but it is time to move past this phase and have fresh eyes on our school system. I am confident that the Board will get this done in the designated time frame and I thank them for pushing through this despite the mixed messages received in the media. — MaryLea Boatwright Quinn

I personally think the Board should “go full steam ahead and get someone new by deadline.”

It isn't fair at all to the candidates to toss out the entire search, due to the behavior of the search firm's leader. Starting over may not produce the same level of qualified candidates and will paint DeKalb as unstable. There has been a process in place that included a community liaison group that help vet these candidates. Michael Thurmond has helped make the transition from the crisis brought on by board that hired him (without a search or public input), but in the end, he is a lawyer/politician; he is not a certified, experienced school superintendent. Michael Thurmond brought some sense of stability from chaos, thereby preparing the way for DeKalb to transition to a permanent, professional leader. DeKalb needs a change in leadership right here, right now. There are very good candidates on the table. Let's move forward. — Susan Heslup

It is most unfortunate that while groups such as Parents Councils United advocated for an independent search firm committee, several board members such as Chair Melvin Johnson and Joyce Morley insisted the firm selection process be handled by school staff.

School district staff were comfortable with the responsibility even though it could give the appearance of conflict of interest. They were comfortable when one firm responded. They vetted the firm and recommended it to the board.

Michael Thurmond has served this school district well but his staff totally failed in handling the search firm process. He could have asked his staff not be involved in the search firm process.

-Luckily the firm did attract good and viable candidates and the selection is far enough along to move into the last phase of evaluating candidates so I see no reason why we should start all over.

-I fear if the process fails now it will reflect badly on Mr. Thurmond and his staff. As good as he has been, obviously the district staff is still not where it should be, even under his direction.

-We need new leadership in this school district. The failure of attracting and vetting search firms fell under Mr Thurmond‘s watch. I like Mr Thurmond and I would hate for his good reputation to suffer by a failed superintendency search. A failure now could not only reinforce the existing distrust of the school district but lead to a disillusionment with Mr Thurmond‘s leadership.

-Please allow the search to continue. A failure now could look like a failure for the board, Mr Thurmond, the school district and all of DeKalb: This process needs to continue. We need new leadership. It is our chance to break with our old ways. — Faye Andresen

Nobody will argue that transit is one of, if not the, most important issue facing metro Atlantans. And with expansion going northward, the ability to get folks from A to B with the least amount of stress is becoming more difficult to do.

Economic development experts have long touted the need for better mass transit in this area. As we get closer to critical mass, more and more people who were initially opposed to leaving their personal vehicles at home are now “getting on the bus” so to speak.

After a series of public meetings, the MARTA’s board has settled on a so-called “locally preferred alternative” under which heavy rail would run north from its current termination at North Springs and parallel Ga. 400, running first east of the highway, crossing to the west and then arcing back east before terminating at Windward Parkway.

But that’s not a done deal, said planners. Two bus rapid transit options also remain on the table. One of them could follow the planned heavy-rail alignment, with the other in a “managed lane corrido.r” This idea will most likely center in the median along 400.

While heavy rail could cost as much as $2.4 billion, bus rapid transit could be done for as little as $500 million, said a transit agency planner. Proponents of BRT argue for it because of that cost differential and say that buses could be established sooner, while heavy rail backers say it can move more riders more quickly and without the need for riders to transfer from rail to bus at the North Springs station.

What do you think? Which plan is best for the future of the corridor? Or is there another viable solution? We want to herar from you. Send comments to communitynews@ajc.com.