new "turnaround" chief for Georgia education says the day for naming schools that need the most help is imminent.

Chief Turnaround Officer Eric Thomas, the first person to hold that title under a new state law, said Wednesday that he will identify schools for state intervention "in the next week or so."

There are plenty of candidates in Atlanta and DeKalb and Fulton counties. Thomas also revealed his criteria for picking schools.

In other Education news:

Residents hope the former school will be used as office space or possibly dedicate it to the arts.

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Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com