DeKalb County's search for a new school superintendent collapsed Tuesday after the third and last remaining finalist, Arthur Culver of Champaign, Ill., withdrew from consideration.
What started out as a well-executed search praised for openness in DeKalb dissolved into disagreements over candidates, leaks of confidential information and criticisms over the roster of small-town finalists. Meanwhile, Fulton County's school board voted unanimously Tuesday for Robert Avossa as its new superintendent.
Gloria Davis dropped out of the DeKalb search about two weeks ago, citing a desire to stay at the helm of her Decatur, Ill. district, and front-runner Lillie Cox, a superintendent from a small district in North Carolina, bowed out Saturday after private details about her preliminary contract negotiations were made public.
Culver, who also announced he would be leaving his post as school chief in Champaign, did not return calls seeking comment.
DeKalb school board members are trying to decide whether to pursue other applicants, ask the outside search firm to bring in a fresh slate of candidates or hire Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson for the position permanently.
Chairman Tom Bowen said the leak of information about Cox undermined the process, but he added that board members had a tough time agreeing on what qualities the new superintendent should possess.
"I think there are clearly disagreements as to which facets of a candidate we should look for," he said. "Some are really focused on academics; some are focused on management and leadership."
Another board member contacted Tuesday said only Bowen was authorized to speak about the search.
Bowen said the district has "learned a lot" in this round of the search, and he still expects DeKalb will have a new superintendent by July 1.
But some in DeKalb worry the board's inability to secure a superintendent will hurt the chances of recruiting top talent on the next attempt. The district is already coming to the bargaining table with a series of high-profile troubles, including the indictment of a former school chief and intense scrutiny from a regional accrediting agency, which has instructed the district to meet a series of directives or face sanctions.
Bill Armstrong, president of the Huntley Hills Elementary School Council, said he was disappointed with how the search played out.
"It makes us look really bad, especially in comparison to what Cobb and Fulton just did, pulling in superintendents that look more qualified than who we were looking at," he said.
Cobb County is reportedly going to announce Rockdale Superintendent Samuel King as the replacement for retiring Fred Sanderson. Fulton’s superintendent search was conducted with little controversy and ended with school board members drawing names Tuesday to see who would nominate Avossa as successor to retiring Superintendent Cindy Loe.
David Schutten, president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators, said people lost faith in the DeKalb search because the three finalists were from much smaller districts.
"There were a lot of questions about whether the people were qualified," Schutten said. "I think it reflects poorly on the board. I don’t know how serious they are about getting a new superintendent at this point."
In Fulton, Avossa on June 1 will become the county’s seventh school superintendent in 14 years.
Avossa, 39, is chief strategy and accountability officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. That school system has about 45,000 more students than Fulton’s 92,000.
The Fulton school board had 41 applicants from 21 states and held extensive interviews with four of them, board President Linda Schultz said. The other three top candidates were given the option to withdraw after board members decided Avossa was the clear choice, she said.
Avossa’s contract calls for him to be paid $238,000 a year for three years, an $800 a month car allowance, moving expenses, a housing allowance for six months and about $40,000 in retirement benefits.
Before he takes the job, the board will pay him for up to 15 days while he bones up on issues critical to the district, including the math curriculum, the 2012 school budget and prospects of Fulton becoming the state’s largest school system, school board attorney Glenn Brock said.
Metro area superintendent searches
Atlanta Public Schools
Enrollment: 48,000
Current Superintendent Beverly Hall stepping down after 12 years. Search firm has concluded the public input portion of its work, including more than 2,000 responses via an online community survey. Search is targeted to end July 1. The names of three finalists are expected to be made public in mid-June, if the search stays on schedule.
Cobb County Schools
Enrollment: 107,000
Current Superintendent Fred Sanderson stepping down after five years on the job. People close to the search say Rockdale Superintendent Samuel King is the top pick.
Fulton County Schools
Enrollment: 92,000
Current Superintendent Cindy Loe stepping down after three years on the job. Robert Avossa replaces her June 1 after being offered a contract Tuesday.
DeKalb County Schools
Enrollment: 99,000
Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson has not applied for the job. She stepped in after Crawford Lewis was fired in April 2010 and indicted the next month on charges of running a criminal enterprise in the school system. Three top contenders dropped out, and the board is now rethinking its next steps.
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