Gwinnett school board selects leaders for this year

Knudsen, who served as vice chair the past two years, indicated that the board needed to find compromise. “We’ve got to, at some point in time, figure out where we can give and where can we take,” he said. “(We) can’t have it all or nothing and achieve consensus.”

Tarece Johnson-Morgan served as chair for the past two years, and she was the lone vote against Knudsen. Johnson-Morgan nominated Adrienne Simmons for the role and also nominated Simmons to be vice chair. Watkins won that vote 3-2.

“I think the board is operating in status quo,” Johnson-Morgan said later in the meeting while explaining her votes. She said the majority of the board is making incremental change rather than addressing systemic problems. Watkins has said she supports work on equity, but she also wants the board to buy in fully before taking on policy changes.

Voting blocs within the board have shifted over the past year, mainly Watkins voting more often with Knudsen and Murphy on split decisions.

That bloc notably crosses former party lines.

Although the board is a nonpartisan body — thanks to legislation enacted in 2022 — most board members were previously elected as a member of a political party: Murphy and Knudsen as Republicans and Johnson-Morgan and Watkins as Democrats. Simmons initially sought a Democratic nomination for school board, but state legislation made the race nonpartisan during the campaign.

Board members praised Johnson-Morgan’s leadership while referencing disagreements over the past year. Knudsen, Murphy and Watkins each said that the discussion has made them stronger board members.

Johnson-Morgan said, “Although our votes are different, it doesn’t mean we’re dysfunctional. ... Even if we disagree, we will continue to advocate the way we know best.”