The next Atlanta Public Schools superintendent and the district’s parents, taxpayers and employees face a big challenge: How do you get to know someone you’ve never met?
The school board announced Tuesday that it selected Birmingham City School District Superintendent Lisa Herring to lead APS. The board legally must wait at least 14 days before it can vote to hire her and has said it may delay the vote longer to give the public more time to learn about her.
During that period, the district typically would schedule numerous meetings around the city to introduce the candidate, but because of the coronavirus closures the plan is to instead rely on virtual forums and online sessions.
The difference is already striking. Six years ago, when the board named current Superintendent Meria Carstarphen as its choice to be the next chief, the announcement came during a gathering at an elementary school. In the following days, Carstarphen took a whirlwind tour around Atlanta — on one busy Saturday she visited six high schools.
This time around, schools are closed and won’t reopen this spring.
This week's announcement naming Herring as the finalist came via press release, social media posts and a YouTube video recording.
- In their own words: Atlanta school board members on Carstarphen decision
The public’s first in-depth look at Herring will come at 10 a.m. Monday, when the district’s social media sites will host a pre-recorded question and answer session. Herring will respond to questions that have been sent to the board in advance, but the format won’t allow for the back-and-forth exchanges that give glimpses into personality and demeanor that happen during a live event. It also will be up to officials to determine which questions are included in that video.
Officials fear that a large, live, virtual audience could quickly grow unwieldy as hundreds or thousands of questions pour in. School board Chairman Jason Esteves said the district will host live online sessions for school clusters, which are based on the neighborhoods around each high school.
Additional meetings also are scheduled with employees.
On the day of the board’s announcement, Herring, a Spelman College graduate, participated in a one-hour phone call with reporters from Atlanta and Birmingham. Three highlights from that call:
Does she have reservations about leaving the Birmingham school system in the midst of a pandemic?
“That’s been on the radar not so much as a reservation, but as a reflection on preparedness,” Herring said. She said that the Alabama district has a plan for continuity and said she works alongside other solid leaders.
What is her biggest concern about the leadership transition at APS?
Herring said her priority will be to reassure everyone that despite the change there’s stability in the district. One goal will be to make sure that employees who are at the forefront of the coronavirus response feel supported.
Does she see a need for more charter schools or other new school models within APS?
Herring said there’s “space for continued innovation” in education. She said she’ll need time to take inventory and assess the board and community priorities.
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