DeKalb County, GA – Tensions between the DeKalb School Board and state School Superintendent Richard Woods are on the rise following the school board’s abrupt firing of DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris.

The state superintendent is also forwarding a state senator’s complaint about the DeKalb County School District to the Attorney General’s Office.

It’s been a busy month for the school district, so here’s a quick recap of what happened. After DeKalb County Schools removed a proposed renovation of Druid Hills High from a list of projects, the students made a video showing unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the school. The video attracted widespread attention and a visit by the state Department of Education’s facilities team. Some repairs had been made before the visit happened, but Woods described them as mostly “cosmetic” repairs that didn’t address underlying issues.

Woods on April 25 sent a scathing letter to the DeKalb School Board, telling the board he would cut off the district’s access to state facilities funds unless they worked with the superintendent to improve school buildings.

“The board is expected to work as a governance team to enact policies to address the issues outlined in these plans, and must empower Superintendent Watson-Harris to take swift and immediate action,” Woods wrote in his April 25 letter.

The next day, April 26, the school board responded with a letter that focused on the “cosmetic” repairs Woods noted and blamed the superintendent for the poor condition of the school. Hours later, the board abruptly fired her.

Woods was not amused.

He said, “the board’s actions in its called meeting on April 26 are a step backward in making real progress on addressing the concerns of the community you are charged to serve.”

“In my April 25 letter to the DeKalb County Board of Education, I called on the governance team to work together to get all your facilities to a standard of quality across the district,” Woods wrote. “I also called on the governance team to ’empower Superintendent Watson-Harris to take swift and immediate action.’ Instead of moving deliberatively and decisively in line with my recommendations, the board chose to largely meet this moment with dysfunction and deflection.”

His full letter appears at the end of this article.

Woods also responded to a request by state Sen. Elena Parent asking the state DOE and the governor’s office to investigate DeKalb County Schools.

“Many of the issues you raise, such as adhering to the Open Meetings Act and other related state laws, fall within the jurisdiction of the state Attorney General’s Office,” he said. “We will be sharing our concerns along with your letter with their office. They will then follow their established processes and procedures.”

Woods, in his letter to Parent, doubled down on his threat to cut the district off from state facilities funding.

“As stated in my April 24 letter to DeKalb County Board of Education, the Department of Education’s facilities team will work with DeKalb County Schools to develop immediate, short­ term, and long-term plans for corrective action regarding facilities issues in the district,” Woods said. “If the district does not fully follow through on this plan, I will not recommend DeKalb County Schools’ facilities plan for State Board of Education approval and the district will not have access to state facilities funding.”

Here is the latest letter from Woods to the DeKalb County School Board:

April 27, 2022

Members of the DeKalb County Board of Education:

I am in receipt of your April 26 letter regarding facilities issues identified within the district.

You responded with a commitment to “address unacceptable conditions at Druid Hills High School as well as other District facilities” and “take all reasonable and necessary steps to comply with the department’s plans for corrective action.” However, the board’s actions in its called meeting on April 26 are a step backward in making real progress on addressing the concerns of the community you are charged to serve.

In my April 25 letter to the DeKalb County Board of Education, I called on the governance team to work together to get all your facilities to a standard of quality across the district. I also called on the governance team to “empower Superintendent Watson-Harris to take swift and immediate action.”

Instead of moving deliberatively and decisively in line with my recommendations, the board chose to largely meet this moment with dysfunction and deflection.

Also in my letter, I referred to the issues identified as “an opportunity for DeKalb County Schools to restore trust with the community [and] enact bold and sweeping change to the way it maintains and invests in its facilities.”

The events at yesterday’s called meeting continue to erode not only the public’s trust, but my trust in your seriousness to address the issues facing DeKalb County Schools.

The board seems to have focused the bulk of its efforts on defining and parsing out the definition of “cosmetic fixes” and blaming years of neglect and poor planning on a Superintendent who has only been at the post a short while – certainly, the issues at Druid Hills High School and across the district did not originate during Superintendent Watson-Harris’ tenure.

As I stated in my original letter, my team will be in touch to develop immediate, short-term, and long-term plans for corrective action. It is my expectation that the board undertakes this work in a productive way, with the sole aim of supporting DeKalb County students, parents, families, and educators, and embraces these challenges with the greatest sense of transparency, urgency, and unity.

This is what students attending courses in every DeKalb County Schools facility deserve.

Respectfully,

Richard Woods

Here is Woods’ letter to Elena Parent:

April 27, 2022 Senator Parent:

Thank you for reaching out to me on behalf of your constituents.

As you noted, I share many of the concerns raised in your letter and share your commitment to the children, families, and educators of DeKalb County.

Many of the issues you raise, such as adhering to the Open Meetings Act and other related state laws, fall within the jurisdiction of the state Attorney General’s Office. We will be sharing our concerns along with your letter with their Office. They will then follow their established processes and procedures.

I am committed to taking any further action, as necessary, based on the direction and guidance of the Attorney General’s Office.

As stated in my April 24 letter to DeKalb County Board of Education, the Department of Education’s facilities team will work with DeKalb County Schools to develop immediate, short­ term, and long-term plans for corrective action regarding facilities issues in the district.

If the district does not fully follow through on this plan, I will not recommend DeKalb County Schools’ facilities plan for State Board of Education approval and the district will not have access to state facilities funding.

Respectfully,

Richard Woods

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