(PHOTOS) Incoming Decatur superintendent outlines first 100 days on the job
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker prepares to answer questions from members of the news media after she was sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Decatur, GA — Dr. Gyimah Whitaker will be focused on G.E.M – Gathering, Envisioning and Maximizing – during her first 100 days as the superintendent of City Schools of Decatur.
She was sworn in as superintendent on Tuesday, June 13. Whitaker will begin her new job on July 1.
The Decatur School Board worked with the Georgia School Boards Association to conduct a nationwide superintendent search. The application process closed on Dec. 18, 2022. GSBA received 34 applications. The school board unanimously approved Whitaker’s contract in April.
“We are confident that the individual we selected is one of outstanding character,” School Board Chair James Herndon said. “She has broad experience both as a classroom teacher and educational administrator.”
He added that CSD staff, families, and the Decatur community will get to know Whitaker and see her work in the weeks and months ahead.
“We look forward to working with [Whitaker] as we continue to provide the highest quality, most impactful possible education for every child in our school system,” Herndon said.
Whitaker’s three-step entry plan, G.E.M, includes gathering information, reviewing the findings to envision a plan forward, and maximizing the results, according to a press release from CSD.
“As I have said previously, I was drawn to the City Schools of Decatur because I believe this school district is a rare and special find,” Whitaker said. “CSD is a good district that will be a great district when all really means all. By recentering the school district on all students, reimagining what school looks like to meet the needs of all students, and creating a space where all students feel included this community, this school district will reach an even higher level of brilliance where all truly means all.”
Each phase of the entry plan is designed to help refine future work around instructional leadership, organizational leadership, and communications, especially in the areas of literacy and closing achievement gaps.
As part of the plan, Whitaker will also hold a series of listening sessions in July and August to learn from key stakeholders across the district, including students, staff, and families, as well as community and business leaders.
Whitaker was also drawn to the district’s focus on its new strategic plan, titled All in Decatur.
“All means all when all students are able to read and really are not only able to read but are skilled readers,” Whitaker said. “All means all also when achievement gaps are being closed. That achievement gap would be between students who are of various ethnicities and of various backgrounds.”
She is looking forward to diving deeply into the Georgia Milestones data once it’s released. She added that looking at the data will be one of her first key steps to take at the beginning of her tenure.
The most important thing for her to do right away is to implement the G.E.M plan.
“I need to gather the information around literacy, gather the information around achievement gaps, gather the information when it comes to interventions and really take that information, those findings and then determine from there how do we envision a path forward,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker does plan to focus on instructional infrastructure, including curriculum, instruction, and assessments.
Whitaker joins CSD from Fulton County Schools. Most recently, she served as the deputy chief academic officer for Fulton County Schools.
With her daughters, Taylor and Tina and husband Jason by her side, Dr. Gyimah Whitaker is sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur by Decatur Chief Municipal Judge Rhathelia Stroud in the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
City Schools of Decatur’s new Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker (center) with Board of Education members from left, Hans Utz, Chair James Herndon, Vice Chair Dr. Carmen Sulton, and Jana Johnson-Davis following Whitaker’s swearing-in on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker’s family members listen to her speak after she was sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker listens as Decatur School Board Chair James Herndon introduces her to a packed Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom before Decatur Chief Municipal Judge Rhathelia Stroud swore Whitaker in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker talks to guests at a reception following her swearing-in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker (left) talks with Decatur School Board Vice Chair Dr. Carmen Sulton before Whitaker is sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur by Decatur Chief Municipal Judge Rhathelia Stroud in the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Attorney for City Schools of Decatur Bob Wilson (center) looks on while Dr. Gyimah Whitaker signs paperwork after being sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker speaks in the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom after being sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
A banner in the lobby of the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center welcomes Dr. Gyimah Whitaker as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker talks with Decatur City Commissioner George Dusenbury (left) before she is sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. School Board Members Dr. Carmen Sulton and Hans Utz look on. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Decatur Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson attends the swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Gyimah Whitaker as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur in the boardroom of the offices named for her, the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Dr. Gyimah Whitaker smiles after being sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur by Decatur Chief Municipal Judge Rhathelia Stroud in the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
From left, Decatur City Manager Andrea Arnold, City Commissioner George Dusenbury, City Commissioner Kelly Walsh, Mayor Patti Garrett, and Mayor Pro Tem Tony Powers watch as Dr. Gyimah Whitaker is sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur by Decatur Chief Municipal Judge Rhathelia Stroud in the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse
People applaud Dr. Gyimah Whitaker after she is sworn in as the new superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur by Decatur Chief Municipal Judge Rhathelia Stroud in the Elizabeth Wilson Student Support Center boardroom on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.
If you appreciate our work on this story, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $6 a month, you can help us keep you in the loop about your community.