ATLANTA — The Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education met for the first time Monday since announcing it will not be renewing Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring's contract.
Herring's contract ends next June and the district confirmed she will not have an opportunity to remain in her post last week. However, the board did not say why it made this decision, nor was it addressed during Monday's meeting.
The district hired Herring in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A large part of her tenure has focused on addressing the pandemic learning losses. 11Alive reached out to Herring for an interview, but the district referred to a statement she released, reading in part:
“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.”
In the statement, she went on to recap some of her accomplishments – like the 84% graduation rate in 2022, the highest in APS history. She also highlighted corporate partnerships with companies like Google, Apple, Nike, and Amazon allowing students to earn college credits and gain real-world career experience.
While the district is now in hiring mode to replace Herring, parents are reacting to the news with mixed feelings, emphasizing a lack of transparency.
“I was shocked because I would have loved to hear firsthand because I'm a parent that has been to every board meeting since 2016 and have not missed one," Kim Dukes said.
Dukes said with a new superintendent on the horizon, she is putting pressure on the board to make sure the process is accessible to parents.
"We are pushing for clear communication and transparency," Dukes said. So, we would have loved to hear what was going on before we saw it on the news."