DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County Board of Education voted 6-1 to approve the appointment of Dr. Devon Horton as its new superintendent on Wednesday.
It concluded an at-times contentious process over the last couple weeks since Dr. Horton was announced as the sole finalist for the position.
"It was like running on a treadmill on 10. It was fast, as far as for me, intense, but it was communicated well, it was really structured," he said after the vote. "I felt like I knew what next steps would be every step of the way. I felt like the board did a magnificent job with really grilling and drilling and making sure they understood who I was as a leader, but also as a person and as a father."
Horton has previous education administration experience in Kentucky and Illinois, where he recently was named "Superintendent of the Year" leading the Evanston/Skokie School District.
His announcement as the candidate faced scrutiny, though, due to an ongoing federal civil rights lawsuit and the fact he's coming from a school district of roughly 6,500 students to one of over 93,000.
Some parents and the local NAACP chapter also questioned whether the process to name the next superintendent has been rushed.
Board member Dr. Joyce Morley, the lone dissenting vote against the appointment, made impassioned remarks against appointing Horton in Wednesday's meeting. She vouched instead for interim Dr. Vasanne S. Tinsley to be given a chance.
"I think it's a shame and a disgrace - that you bring somebody in and have her to save you and then turn around say they're not worthy afterwards," Dr. Morley said.
She said she felt Horton was "not qualified to be in the position" coming from a smaller district, comparing the number of employees he oversaw (1,500) to DeKalb's workfoce (15,000); the number of students (7,000 to 93,000 in DeKalb); and the size of the budgets he oversaw ($592 million to DeKalb's $2.6 billion).
Last week Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods urged the district in a statement to "pause the selection process" and said interim superintendent Dr. Vasanne Tinsley "has been responsive and has produced results" for the district during her short time in the position.
Dr. Horton told 11Alive he's confident he can lead the school district and work with concerned parents.
“I’ve worked in districts a little bit larger and also led a school district during some really challenging times during COVID. The skills and talent needed to run a district like DeKalb can be lifted on in any spectrum," Dr. Horton said last week at a town hall, addressing the concerns about him taking over so large a district after leading smaller districts previously.
Another issue parents brought up was a federal lawsuit filed in 2021 accusing Dr. Horton of violating the Civil Rights Act by treating white students differently than students of color.
“When you just look at the data, there’s a clear disconnect in how students of color and marginalized students are performing academically," Dr. Horton said.
More on the lawsuit
Stacy Deemar, a drama teacher from the district, filed the lawsuit in June 2021.
In the suit, she alleges Horton took an aggressive approach to anti-racism that made her uncomfortable and imposed race-based programming in the name of racial equity in schools. Deemar claims that such lessons divide students and staff and that District 65 "sets up a dichotomy between white and non-whites that depicts whiteness as inherently racist and a tool of oppression," even segregating faculty members into affinity groups on the basis of race.
Deemar furthers her point with a lesson plan example on "Intergenerational, Black Families and Black Villages," which teaches that Black families and villages are "the best/proper way" to have a family.
For more on the lawsuit, including a full copy, see this story: DeKalb superintendent finalist faces criticism, federal lawsuit from former school district