The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the board has voted 3-2 to end Watts’ contract on April 2, when Chief of Schools Al Taylor will step in as interim superintendent
The board members who voted to dismiss Watts did not discuss any concerns about his job performance. They didn’t talk about any terms related to ending his contract.
However, board members Steve Knudsen and Steve Gasper, who voted against terminating Watts, sharply voiced their opposition.
“The timing for this decision is poor,” Knudsen said. “We have gone through the entirety of data and metrics to view the performance of our 2024 school year and they were all trending in the right direction.”
Gwinnett, Georgia' largest school district, has more than 182,500 students. The school board voted to hire Watts in July 2021. He was the district’s first Black superintendent and replaced J. Alvin Wilbanks, who held the post for 25 years.
Watts taught in metro Atlanta and Seattle and held several administrative positions in Gwinnett County schools, including as a principal and assistant superintendent. He led the Kent school district near Seattle for six years before becoming Gwinnett's superintendent.
Mike Kennedy has been writing about education forAmerican School & Universitysince 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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