FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Tennessee man was just named to lead Georgia's fourth-largest school district.
The Fulton County School Board appointed Dr. Michael Looney as its new superintendent.
He will take over the district with 95,000 students and 106 schools. According to the Fulton County School District, he comes to Georgia with high praise from the school board in Williamson County, Tennessee, where he was the superintendent for almost 14 years. But he also comes with a bit of controversy.
Back in March, Dr. Looney was criticized for a series of training videos he released to help teachers improve inclusion, discussing bias, privilege and cultural competency. According to The Tennessean newspaper, some teachers called the videos insensitive and racist.
The Williamson Republican Party condemned the videos, accusing the district of "indoctrinating students and teachers." School board members even received complaints.
According to the newspaper, Looney took full responsibility for creating the video content and said there was no intention to indoctrinate anyone. The purpose was to bring his staff and teachers together. The Fulton County School District says Looney was open and upfront about it, even talking about it during public meet and greets.
In a statement, the district said Looney's experience and approach was the "right fit for our schools at the right time,” according to President Linda Bryant.
“We have great confidence and optimism in his abilities. He has shown the willingness to be transparent, listen to the community, comes with a track record of results in student achievement, and is thoughtful in his approach toward teaching and learning, the most important role of the Superintendent,” the statement continued.
Looney received a three-year contract where he'll make $329,000 a year. He's set to start June 17.
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