The DeKalb County (Ga.) school board has voted 6 to 1 to immediately sever ties with Superintendent Steve Green, saying they were hoping to avoid a “lame duck year” with a leader already looking toward opportunities elsewhere.
The Atlanta Journal-Constittution reports that board named administrator Ramona Tyson as the district’s interim superintendent through the end of the school year. Tyson has worked in the district 32 years, and previously served as an interim superintendent and chief of staff to three former superintendents, including Green.
The vote ends Green’s nearly 53-month tenure—the longest term in a 10-year stretch that saw the district fall into debt and nearly lose its accreditation, but it had rebounded with more than $100 million in reserves and a multiyear accreditation renewal.
In May, Green announced his intention to leave the district after the 2019-20 school year. He came to the district in 2015 under a three-year contract. In 2016 and 2017, the board approved one-year contract extensions, but did not approve contract extensions in 2018 and 2019.
A national search already is under way for Green’s replacement.
District officials set out in late 2014 to find a superintendent who would lead by example, prioritizing student education and addressing morale issues that pushed teacher turnover well above that at neighboring districts. Green was viewed as a respected veteran educator who never endeared himself to his staff and reportedly ruled by a my-way-or-the-highway approach to leadership
Board member Allyson Gevertz, who voted against Green’s dismissal, expressed displeasure with the move, saying she did not see the positive impact of parting with a leader in the middle of the school year.
“I am strongly opposed to this,” she said. “It’s fiscally irresponsible. This sends the wrong message to superintendent candidates. I don’t see the win for DeKalb County students.”
Others disagreed. Because Green was staying only through next June, many felt his focus already was on his next job, which put district progress at risk.
“Green has made clear his desire to move on,” board member Vickie Turner said. “What we don’t want is a lame duck year. It’s time to move forward.”
