DeKalb's revolving door of superintendents continues

Driving the news: The DeKalb County School District's most recent superintendent, Devon Horton, stepped down after he was indicted recently on federal charges of embezzlement and wire and tax fraud.

• Norman Sauce III was sworn in as acting superintendent.

By the numbers: For the 2024-25 school year, there were 60 turnovers in superintendents across the state, down from 70 the previous year, said John Zauner, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association.

• "Two-thirds of our top leadership roles have changed," Zauner said, adding the GSSA used to average between 28 and 32 changes in previous years.
• Each year, the GSSA calculates the average tenure of a superintendent in all of Georgia's 180 districts. This year's average is 4.2 years.

Zoom in: Zauner said the turnover rate is higher in metro Atlanta.

• Bryan Johnson of Atlanta Public Schools and Henry County's John Pace III are both in their second year as superintendents.
• Superintendents in Rockdale and Gwinnett (which has had its own issues) counties are in their first year, Clayton County's leader is in his third year, and Fayette County's superintendent is in his fifth year, Zauner told Axios.
• Superintendents in Douglas and Cobb counties are outliers, as they have held their positions for eight and 10 years, respectively, Zauner said.

How it works: Each of the state's 180 school districts is governed by local boards of education that hire superintendents who carry out the day-to-day operations of the district.

Yes, but: When first elected and while in office, school board members undergo training that warns them against interfering with the superintendent's ability to manage the district.

• It's one of the key rules that districts must follow to keep their accreditation, which is tied to the HOPE Scholarship, which pays a portion of in-state tuition for students attending any in-state college or university.

Here's a timeline of DeKalb County School District's history with superintendents.

Crawford Lewis (2004 to 2010): Lewis was fired and subsequently indicted in a corruption case revolving around school construction contracts.

• According to the AJC, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, but it was dismissed under the state's First Offender Act. Lewis died in 2023.
• Ramona Tyson served as the interim superintendent through 2011.

Cheryl Atkinson (2011 to 2013): Atkinson departed after the district was placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (now known as Cognia) for financial mismanagement and "meddling" by the school board, the AJC reported.

• The district was removed from probation in 2014.

Michael Thurmond (2013-2015): Thurmond took over as interim superintendent amid the probation crisis and a $14 million budget deficit. He is credited with getting the district back on track.

Steve Green (2015-2019): Green was hired following Thurmond's tenure. His time in DeKalb was "mired by both controversial and problematic hiring decisions," the AJC reported.

• The Georgia Professional Standards Commission investigated Green for allegedly not reporting potential ethics violations by educators in a timely manner, according to the AJC.
• The school board terminated his contract in November 2019, Decaturish reported.

Ramona Tyson (2019-2020): Tyson was named interim superintendent after Green's departure. The board appointed her in early 2020 on a permanent basis, but she retired in June 2020.

Cheryl Watson-Harris (2020-2022): Watson-Harris was hired when the district was in the early days of the pandemic.

• Watson-Harris came under scrutiny over how the district and school board responded to deteriorating conditions at Druid Hills High School.
• The board in 2022 abruptly fired Watson-Harris and named Vasanne Tinsley as its interim superintendent.
• In April 2023, board members voted to hire Devon Horton to serve as the next superintendent.