Sherrer El Remains as APS Chair For Now; Search Firm Presents Superintendent Candidates

The Atlanta Board of Education was presented a list of five candidates for its school superintendent position Monday afternoon.

The presentation was made in private, executive session. The board was expected to narrow the list of candidates down to three, who will be introduced to the public over the coming weeks.

Prior to the executive session, the board held a SACS project meeting, in which board members discussed the progress being made in keeping accreditiation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Before that meeting began, however, Patch spoke with board chairman Khaatim Sherrer El, who told Patch that he was not resigning his position at the meeting.

Here is Patch's live blogging report as the meeting happened ...

4:20. Sherrer El. "There might have been some misinformation out there regarding a leadership change to take place today. Earlier today, four of our colleagues met with the mayor ... but until we've done some of the things we need to do, there won't be any leadership change today.

"We are now in the process of implementing our communications plan, and some of our members have met with our high schools ... We continue to prioritize communications with our parents as the summer progresses ...

"We're continuing to seek the mediator's assistance in terms of leadership changes on the board as well as the search for a new school superintendent ..."

4:23. Sherrer El - "We're focusing on the search for a new superintendent this afternoon. Our search firm, Hazard Young Tia & Associates, will brief us in executive session on the five candidates they are presenting, where we will narrow that list down to three candidates, whom we will present to the public.

"But there is also no guarantee that we will have a new superintendent after this search."

4:25. Board member Brenda Mohammed. "Mr. English, Mr. McDaniel and Ms. Harasch Kinnae and I participated in today's meeting with the mayor. It was a very good meeting. He offered his full support. He wanted us to know he was there and available to us if we request his assistance."

4:28. Board member Cecily Harsch-Kinnae. "The mayor has had some converstations with the head of the U.S. Department of Education and how this leadership change will impact us."

4:30. Board member Courtney English. "The mayor made it clear that he is supportive of our leadership change, and he was very clear that he has the resources to assist us with this, but he will not be onvolved unless he request his assistance."

4:33. Harasch-Kinnae. "Our intent is to communicate what we are doing as a board, and not seeking the approval of the mayor to sign on to what we are doing.

4:35. Rueben McDaniel, board member. "We need to hear from our board chairman to see if our meeting today did satisfy the conditions that being placed on us."

4:36. Sherrer El - "The mayor said he would not support a new superintendent efforts under my leadership. That condition would devastate our search ewhich is why I agrred to the leadership change."

4:37. Harasch-Kinnae. "The reason the mayor has chosen not to meet with us as a full board is because he wants to be clear that his support in this endeavor for a leadership change."

4:39. Sherrer El. "Our general counsel has prepared a legal outline to move forward with our leadership change. We also have received a letter from SACS regarding on efforts to maintain accreditation.

"The expectation is that we will elect new leadership on June 13. But several other items have to happen first.

"We've also talked about having some other meetings, such as with the governor, some nonprofit and chambers of commerce, so we're looking to several of our other board members to make sure these things happen."

4:45. Yolanda Johnson, board member. "What written document do we have that today's meeting with the mayor actually happened? How can we have this on file?"

English - "Do you want a statement from those of us in the meeting, or the mayor's office? I'm sure his office will more than happy to provide us."

Sherrer El - "We need to have a written piece of evidence, that shows a demonstrable act, that we are doing everything we can to regain the public's trust."

4:48. Lachandra Burks, board member. "In regard to the superintendent search, when we will begin to have a conversation in regard to perhaps an interim superintendent? And who released or drafted the statement that we've released to the public in regard to the superintendent search?"

4:50, Sharron Pitts, chief of staff. "That statement was drafted by our communications office."

4:51. Sherrer El - "I'd like to ask my colleagues to be flexible in terms of their expectations as far as communications are concerned. We try our best to be consistent with our message we're presenting to the public. Even though we have a very tight timeframe, we don't want to rush this process, and the statement that we've released to the public is designed to stress that we want to do this right."

4;58. The board moves into executive session. The board will not reconvene back into a public session.