ATLANTA — The search for a superintendent for the Atlanta Public Schools is almost complete.
In a news conference Tuesday, Dr. Bryan Johnson was named the sole finalist for the position after the district said it completed interviews and named two other runner-ups for the role.
About Dr. Bryan Johnson
Dr. Bryan Johnson, if voted in by the board, would come to APS after leaving his appointed executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer position at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A Nashville native with extensive experience in public education and corporate leadership, Johnson guided UTC’s strategic planning, according to the Atlanta Board of Education Chair Erika Mitchell.
Previously, he was chief transformation officer at U.S. Xpress Enterprises and served as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. Under his leadership at the school district, he launched the Future Ready Institutes and secured free high-speed internet for disadvantaged students during the pandemic, according to Mitchell.
According to the Atlanta Board of Education, he was also recognized as the 2020 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year and a finalist for the National Superintendent of the Year.
Johnson holds degrees from Austin Peay State University and Belmont University and a doctorate from Trevecca University.
A decision on Johnson is expected in July from the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education. Dr. Daniella Battle still serves as the interim superintendent until the final decision is made.
Dr. Bryan Johnson speaks about his goals
Johnson said he's leaving college to get back to grade school because "I love serving children," he told 11Alive.
When asked how he would address teacher retention, he acknowledged that APS's new salary raise will help, adding that a budget "is a statement of what you value."
Johnson said he hopes to keep teachers by making sure they like coming to work.
"Compensation matters, but culture is what keeps people," Johnson said. "So, we want to do all we can to support teachers."
Advocates, like Angira Sceusi, said the district needs a consistent leader, as well, noting that the district will have been led by four superintendents in five years. Sceusi is the incoming chief of staff with the non-profit RefinED, which advocates for educational equity. She said her staff have been following APS's progress for years.
"I don't think Atlanta Public Schools has fully recovered since the pandemic," Sceusi said. "We have a long way to go; even before that. We have some of the largest achievement and outcome gaps, right now, in the country. And the pandemic only exacerbated that."
As for some of Johnson's goals, he said he plans to focus on literacy.
"We want to work with teachers and leaders and make sure that they are steeped in the curriculum," Johnson said.
Sceusi agreed but added she is hoping math scores and enrollment will improve, too.
Johnson said he plans to use his previous experience to help him in Atlanta.
"When you look at the district I served, it was urban and suburban, so we had an urban core. We had a suburban core, and we had to serve all of those students really well, so I have that level of understanding around what that work looks like," Johnson said.
Sceusi is also looking for a plan that can be efficiently put into action.
"If we keep doing what we have done for the last 50 years, we're not really closing those achievement gaps," Sceusi said.
Johnson said his ears are open and he's ready to get to work.
"The most important thing to me is going to be to listen to the community, work with the school board, understand the nuances and complexities that exist within Atlanta, and use that to serve the community," Johnson said.
When asked how he will address violence in the school district, Johnson said he plans to support social and emotional learning, as well as mental health, and hire qualified security and police.
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