Meet Atlanta’s new school superintendent
Atlanta Public Schools has a new top educator. The board voted to approve a contract with Dr. Bryan Johnson. He is expected to take the helm next month.
ATLANTA – It’s official: Atlanta Public Schools has a new superintendent.
On Monday, the school board unanimously approved its sole finalist, Dr. Bryan Johnson, for a three-year contract. He will be taking over the role from the interim superintendent, Dr. Danielle Battle, who filled in for the last full-time superintendent, Dr. Lisa Herring. She left the school system after three years following the board’s decision not to extend her contract.
The school board has been working on the process of choosing the next district leader for the last several months. Over the last few weeks, Johnson has been going across the school district, talking to the community about his background and learning about the community’s needs.
Who is Dr. Bryan Johnson?
Dr. Johnson is the former superintendent of Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Before that, he spent five years in the classroom. He says his experience there will help him take on the job here.
He also says he has been meeting with the school board over the last few months to learn about the priorities and needs in the city.
“The board’s been very clear with guard rails and goals which we’ll lean into, a lot of focus around literacy, a lot of focus around whole child social, emotional support for students,” Johnson said during an interview on Good Day Atlanta.
Johnson said he has learned about the community’s priorities during six recent town halls.
What will Atlanta Public Schools’ new superintendent prioritize?
“I think equity is always a conversation for a district, an urban district, especially one like Atlanta – a very diverse school district, especially from the standpoint of needs. And we’ve taken that context in especially as we’ve gotten the opportunity to go across the community,” he said.
Another priority for the finalist is literacy.
“Obviously, there’s a great opportunity with literacy. There’s a great opportunity to make sure that our children are readers, and they can’t just read but speak and listen, and they can also write really well,” he said.
Johnson says he wants to make sure when students graduate from Atlanta Public Schools, they have a path forward. In fact, he had his own questions before making the decision to take the job.
“We want to make sure that we don’t just graduate students, and I’ve said this multiple times. To have a high graduation rate is obviously a goal. That’s a metric that people look at. But we want to make sure when students walk across the stage that they’re actually prepared. And so for us, it’s, ‘Do they have a certification – a credential? Do they have a set of skills that they’re going to a two-year, a four-year? What’s the next step for them in addition to just graduating?'” Johnson said.
When does new APS Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson start?
Johnson’s first official day in office will be Aug. 5. When he starts, his 13-year-old son will be enrolled as a 7th grader in Atlanta Pulbic Schools.
“It was never a second thought,” Johnson said.” Philosophically, I’ve always thought,’If it’s not good enough for my child, it’s not good enough for any.'”
