In their first few months in office, the newly elected Board of Education will make a number of major decisions including selecting a new superintendent, addressing significant budget issues and establishing the operational model for the system as a whole.
By far the most important decision is the selection of a new superintendent who will provide dynamic leadership for a school system moving beyond recent failures and scandals of the past. And there appears to be a consensus on this issue among the candidates – the new superintendent must be a visionary to transform the status quo; be a great communicator; be confident in their ability to hire a strong executive staff; and be collaborative in dealing with the board and the community at large.
This by itself is no small feat, but more will be required. The new superintendent will have to align with the strategic vision and operational philosophy of the newly elected board. Based on the majority view of the candidates, the new superintendent will have to share their desire to transition authority from the central office into the hands of the school principals, who are most attuned to the student’s needs.
The board’s second challenge is the development of a budget for next year. Based on the campaign statements of many of the candidates, the new board will likely want a significant reallocation of resources away from administration and into the classroom. Additionally, there is a strong call for reducing the deficit spending, ending teacher furloughs and granting teachers their first pay raise in five years.
These cost reductions and reallocations amount to $40-50 million out of an operating budget of approximately $590 million – this will not be an easy task. This may be further complicated as the new board will likely realize that cost reductions in the administrative and operating functions will be difficult to achieve without reducing the cost inefficiencies created by a number of small schools that were slated for closure during the last redistricting, but remain open today.
The board’s third major decision is the selection of the operational model under which it will be governed. Each district will have to choose one of the five options available - and they run from a “traditional model” which is the current status quo; a “charter system” in which each school operates more independently, but is still closely aligned with the central administration; or a “system of charters” in which each school or cluster of schools operates under a separate contract with APS and the state.
The current candidates appear to have a strong disposition towards granting greater autonomy and accountability to the schools, in which case the “charter system” is the likely choice. However, the new superintendent will have a strong voice in this decision and therefore must be aligned with the new board.
There is one additional item that the new board should address as it has a strong and direct impact on its ability to fund the necessary activities in the classroom. The unfunded pension liability incurred decades ago takes $50 million annually (rising to $74 million) from funds that would otherwise be used in the classroom. There are several alternatives for how this liability can be addressed, but just kicking the can down the road as the previous boards have done is irresponsible. There are no pleasant alternatives, but if the board wants a fresh start with a new superintendent and adequate resources to address many systemic problems, they should resolve the problem and move forward.
With so many tough issues to address, many view this as the most important school board election in the history of Atlanta. They are right, and the results will determine if APS is set on a positive (or negative) trajectory for years to come.
