ATLANTA — Editor's note: The video above is from a previous report.
The Atlanta Board of Education has decided not to renew their contract with Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring.
Her contract will not be renewed “beyond June 30, 2024,” according to a statement from the Atlanta Board of Education.
The board wanted to reassure parents that the work between Herring and the board will not cease while she is superintendent, emphasizing the “laser focus on student achievement through the Board’s Student Outcomes Focus Governance model," the statement said.
The announcement comes after a petition requesting her removal gained over 600 signatures back in February.
The petition claimed that Atlanta schools saw low standardized test scores, underperforming schools, low attendance and a spike in disciplinary incidents.
Herring was brought on back in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the school was navigating the transitions from virtual and in-person classes.
While the board did not offer a specific reason as to why they made the decision not to renew Herring’s contract, they did “thank the community for their patience” during this time and ask for ‘continued support and engagement as [they] continue [their] important work.”
Herring also released a statement to her staff following the board's decision to not renew her contract. In the statement, she expressed her appreciation for her staff and wanted to remind them that she is still committed to helping students prepare for "successful futures in college, career and life."
Here's the full statement below:
APS: Good afternoon. I want to make you aware that the Atlanta Board of Education has decided to not extend my contract beyond the end of next school year, June 2024. While the statement below captures my sentiments, I want to take a moment to remind us all to stay focused on the important work for our children as our most important focus. Please know that I remain committed to the work of preparing our scholars for successful futures in college, career, and life, and I appreciate your support in this effort. Let's continue to push forward, together. Yours in service, Lisa Official Statement:
Atlanta Public School Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring Announces Position on the APSBOE Decision to End Tenure June 2024
Serving, advocating and innovating on behalf of the children of Atlanta has yielded so much progress for our system and city over the last three years as superintendent. Progress, but not without challenge. These recent years have been marked with incredible moments punctuated by the COVID-19 pandemic that challenged me as a leader, our educators and our scholars alike. Yet, these moments also highlighted our collective resilience, innovation, ingenuity, perseverance and strength that remain a hallmark of our district's 150-year legacy. In December of 2022, I received my last performance evaluation and satisfactory feedback with emphasis on the focus of additional engagement and stronger communications efforts. I have worked diligently to honor the work and expectations of our board and community. My work has remained laser focused on the success of our incredible scholars, our dedicated professionals who lead in and outside the classroom and our countless champions who continue to propel APS to greater heights.
The following accomplishments are a testament to the power of our collective work under this administration:
- The graduating class of 2022 yielded the highest graduation rate in the history of APS at 84%
- Intentionally growing corporate partnership between our schools and corporate community with national recognition for new partners such as Google, Apple, Nike, Amazon and others to reimagine teaching and learning. We have been engaged in national conversations to provide more students with accelerated and innovative opportunities to earn college credits and gain real-world career experiences
- Measurable academic progress in meeting our targets for literacy and numeracy proficiency for students as monitored by our newly adopted governance model, Student Outcomes Focused Governance. We have been on track in both reading and math
- Innovating, reimagining and co-creating our schools and classrooms for the future with our own amazing students and staff
Our community will need the time and opportunity to plan a focused and balanced transition for our organization. We have established a powerful relationship with city government and others across the state to work together, for children. It is imperative that we maintain these relationships.
I am proud of the countless collaborative efforts that I have led to continue to position APS as a national model for academic excellence and achievement.
Leading Atlanta Public Schools and caring for Atlanta's children over the last three years has truly been a dream realized for me as the Superintendent. My desire to lead Atlanta with this work is still strong and present. I remain honored to have the opportunity and platform to highlight our students, our city and our collective success, while aiming always for continued excellence.