The Atlanta Board of Education announced Tuesday it will extend its search for a new superintendent.
In a press release, the board said the decision will allow more time to find candidates that match a leadership profile developed with community input by the search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates.
“There are several quality applicants, however, there was an information breach about some of these candidates,” Board Chair Erika Mitchell said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “When a candidate’s name is revealed it puts them in a precarious situation in their current role. This was a difficult decision based on the circumstances, but the board is determined to select the right individual.”
The board didn’t provide any details about the breach, but indicated the search wouldn’t completely start over. Mitchell said HYA would continue to lead the process, which the board intends to complete this year. The board’s proposed timeline planned to have a superintendent in place July 1. However at a meeting Tuesday evening, board members voted to extend interim Superintendent Danielle Battle’s current contract past its current end date of June 30. The board hasn’t publicly revealed any details, such as how long the extension is.
In June, the board decided not to extend then-Superintendent Lisa Herring’s contract. Shortly afterward, Battle was named as interim, who has said she doesn’t want the job permanently. In October, the board hired HYA, the same firm it used to find Herring, to lead the search for a new chief.
In an interview last month with the AJC, Mitchell and Board Vice Chair Jennifer McDonald said they were happy with the candidates HYA presented to the board.
Mitchell also said the board was working to rebuild public trust, which seemed to have eroded after board members opted not to extend the contracts of the district’s two most recent superintendents without much public discourse.
“One of the ways that we, as a board, decided we wanted to be more transparent with our process is making sure that our community members, parents, our stakeholders and students are brought up to date on each step of the process, each phase of the process,” she said in the interview. “We’re communicating what the next steps are, what are we doing, making sure that you have access to the timeline (on the district’s website).”
