The Atlanta school board is scheduled Monday to hire Tennessee educator Bryan Johnson as the district’s next superintendent.
Atlanta parents and community leaders have presented a lengthy and detailed to-do list for Johnson during several town hall meetings over the past two weeks. When peppered with questions about how he would fix issues with the district’s special education procedures, safety concerns and a lack of resources at some schools, Johnson said he wouldn’t be able to offer solutions on the spot.
“I don’t know if I told y’all this, but I didn’t come in here with no cape,” he said during a town hall at Benjamin E. Mays High School.
While he may not be a superhero, some of Johnson’s former colleagues say he has some skills that will serve him well in Atlanta. Johnson’s last job leading a school district was as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga from 2017 to 2021.
“The greatest thing he brought to our district was vision,” said former middle school science teacher Kendra Young. “No one can meet with Dr. Johnson and not feel his passion and his vision for students and for schools. Now, we may not always agree on how we’re going to get there, but he was a true visionary.”
In interviews with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hamilton County educators and school board members noted test scores and graduation rates rose during Johnson’s tenure. They also talked about several initiatives that began under his watch. Board Chair Joe Smith said Johnson’s most impactful achievement was partnering with businesses to develop Future Ready Institutes, where students can graduate from high school with a credential.
“A lot of things that Dr. Johnson had a vision for, put into place, we’re continuing that same trajectory today,” Smith said.
Credit: Seeger Gray / Seeger.Gray@ajc.com
Credit: Seeger Gray / Seeger.Gray@ajc.com
Although Young had high praise for Johnson, she didn’t agree with some of his initiatives. For example, she didn’t like that he increased the number of tests students took during the year.
“(It caused) extremely high stress,” she said. “Not good for students, not helpful to teachers.”
Young said she understood why Johnson increased testing; he was able to show that students were making progress.
Johnson won over some school board members who didn’t vote for him to become superintendent. Kathy Lennon said Johnson was living in Nashville at the time and hadn’t taught in Hamilton County.
“I was hesitant to vote for him as the superintendent and bring in somebody new that we didn’t know,” she said, adding that her concerns quickly diminished.
Lennon said one of Johnson’s biggest accomplishments was to establish learning communities in the district, where schools in the same region could work together and communicate their specific needs to the school system.
“He is just a really dynamic leader, and he surrounds himself with good people,” she said, adding that Johnson often sought feedback from teachers.
School board member Karitsa Jones said she voted for another candidate in 2017, but quickly became a Johnson supporter.
“Dr. Johnson was amazing,” she said. “He was ... a trailblazer beyond his time in many ways for us here in Hamilton County. He was able to come in to lead our district into becoming one of the fastest-improving school districts in the state of Tennessee in a short amount of time.”
Jones said she was impressed that he worked with utility companies to expand internet access to low-income students during the pandemic.
Credit: Bita Honarvar
Credit: Bita Honarvar
Several people who worked with Johnson said they didn’t agree with him on everything, but they admired his work ethic and what he was able to accomplish.
Jeanette Omarkhail, president of the Hamilton County Education Association, said Johnson always put students first.
“He’s going to do what’s best for the kids,” she said. “That’s really what he’s going to look at: ‘What is going to help this school district? What’s best for the kids sitting in these seats?’ That’s what’s most important and he will do that.”
Credit: Seeger Gray / Seeger.Gray@ajc.co
Credit: Seeger Gray / Seeger.Gray@ajc.co
Johnson resigned from his job in Hamilton County in August of 2021 with three years left on his contract. Johnson didn’t give a specific reason for leaving in his resignation letter. A Nashville native, he most recently served as the executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).
Johnson has repeatedly said APS hasn’t reached its potential. His priorities, if he gets the job in Atlanta, include building on ongoing efforts to improve student proficiency in literacy and math and improving special education services.
“This should be the best urban school district in the country. Period,” he said at a meeting at Sutton Middle School. “I’m going to press that on Atlanta. This is Atlanta.”
About Bryan Johnson
Credit: Seeger Gray / Seeger.Gray@ajc.com
Credit: Seeger Gray / Seeger.Gray@ajc.com
Bryan Johnson currently serves as the executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).
Johnson, 41, was hired to lead Hamilton County Schools in June of 2017. He resigned in August of 2021 with three years left on his contract. From there, he became chief transformation officer at logistics company U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc.
In 2021, Johnson, a Nashville native, was named Tennessee Superintendent of the Year and was a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year. He worked for 10 years in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, northwest of Nashville. Johnson attended Austin Peay State University, Belmont University and Trevecca University, where he earned a doctorate in educational leadership, according to his UTC bio.
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