The Gwinnett County (Ga.) school board has voted 3 to 2 to part ways with its longtime superintendent a year before his contract expires.
The Gwinnett Daily Post reports that the board has notified Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks, who has led the suburban Atlanta district for 25 years, that it will terminate his contract this summer.
Under Wilbanks' contract, the board is required to give him 90 days notice before removing him. The contract was set to expire in June 2022, and he had already announced that he will not seek an extension on that contract.
Wilbanks’ last day will be July 31.
“I have had the pleasure and honor to serve as Gwinnett County Public Schools’ superintendent for the past 25 years," Wilbanks said. "Education has been my life’s work for 56 years, and my work in this school district has been the highlight of my career."
Vice Chairwoman Karen Watkins, who voted to end the contract, said: “This decision to make this move was not taken lightly by any of us. As you can see here, we had discussions, closed session discussions, prior to this. I want to say we are committed to serving the needs of all of our students.”
The three Democrats on the board voted in favor of Wilbanks’ removal, and the two Republicans on the board voted against it.
“While I was prepared to fulfill my contract through June of 2022, recent discussions with the school board made it clear that would not be the case," Wilbanks said. "... I know that when the time comes, I will proudly hand back to the Gwinnett County Board of Education and our community a school district that is in better shape today than it was when I became superintendent.”
The board voted to contract with the Georgia School Boards Association to conduct a search for a new superintendent.
“We explored every option and this was the option that reached the majority consensus of the board and was done in collaboration with the superintendent,” Board Chairman Everton Blair said. “(It is) one that gives finality around the contract and allows us to attract a superintendent of the highest caliber for this school district.”
