STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — For DeKalb County Schools, this school year marks the beginning of a new era.
Meet Cheryl Watson Harris. DeKalb County Schools newest Superintendent.
“I would like to consider myself and other people would consider me a true champion for children,” Cheryl Watson-Harris said. “I started as a teacher in Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn [New York] at the height of the crack epidemic and I just really knew that very early on that I had a gift with children,” Harris explained.
The New York City native, wife, and mom of three has a career in education the stretches back nearly 30 years.
“So, in terms of the work. This is my work. This is what I do. My one promise that I made during my interview process was that I was going to work with the team to make DeKalb County the number one choice for families,” she stated.
She rose through the ranks of the Boston school system before joining the New York City Department of Education where she served as First Deputy Chancellor.
“I’m coming out of the epicenter of this pandemic. So, it wasn’t as difficult to look at the numbers and trends and say there’s no reason why we should be going back to school at this time,” Harris explained.
DeKalb County Schools recently announced that the school year will start on August 17th. Students will start the school year with virtual learning and district leaders will assess how to move forward on a monthly basis.
“Our decision was data-driven. We will continue to look at the data and each month decide what is right at that time,” Harris said.
She said while safety is her top priority, she also wants to make sure students, especially those at a disadvantage, have the devices and tools they need to learn.
“It isn’t just posting the assignments and getting the computers and devices into the hands of the students and their families we are working on a “dial a teacher” program right now for parents if they need help aiding their children. How do we maximize the use of our assess television station,” she stated.
“We are developing and building on the spring ... also me adding some of my experiences from New York to create a more realistic and robust approach,” Harris mentioned.
Recently, the school board approved this year’s budget in which Harris said was a top priority too.
She also said she wants to maintain cleanliness and new practices inside facilities to make sure the virus doesn’t spread because they plan to bring in some staff.
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