Atlanta schools superintendent gets contract extension

The Atlanta Board of Education approved extending its contract with Superintendent Lisa Herring.

The contract extension, which was approved by the board during its meeting on Monday, will run through the 2023-24 school year, Atlanta Public Schools said.

State of play: Since joining APS in July 2020, the district’s four-year graduation rate climbed from 80.3% last year to 83.1% in 2021, the system said.

• The district also increased minimum wage for full-time employees to $15 an hour, implemented a 2% salary increase and approved retention bonuses.

One of the changes in Herring’s contract includes providing the superintendent with up to 10 wellness days each year that she can take at her discretion, Board Chairman Jason Esteves said.

Flashback: Before coming to APS, Herring was the superintendent of Birmingham City Schools.

What they’re saying: “We know that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but I look forward to continuing our efforts to meet those challenges by fostering academic excellence for all of our students, building a culture of student support, equipping and empowering leaders and staff, and creating a system of support for schools,” Herring said in a news release.