Survey: We Don't Want Atkinson To Lead DeKalb Schools

The DeKalb County Board of Education on Monday as schools superintendent.

Atkinson, who currently is superintendent of the Lorain City Schools in Ohio, is a 30-year education veteran and had been in the running for the top spot with Atlanta Public Schools.

She starts the new job on Sept. 15.

But the majority of parents in a survey conducted by Parents For DeKalb Schools don't want her. The results:

• 68 — percentage of respondents who do not support the Board's selection of Cheryl L. H. Atkinson as finalist for the position of superintendent. 26 percent are undecided while only 6 percent support the candidate.
• 32 — percentage of respondents who do not know which Board of Education member represents their super district. (In the DeKalb County portion of East Atlanta Patch, they are Sarah Copelin-Wood and Eugene Walker, both of whom voted for Atkinson.)
• 69 — percentage of respondents who have neither written nor called their two Board of Education representatives to provide input or ask questions about the superintendent candidate.
• 71 — percentage of respondents who are "dissatisfied" or "extremely dissatisfied" with the information and supporting material provided to the public by DeKalb County School System to support the choice of the superintendent finalist following its announcement of the candidate.

Related Topics: Cheryl Atkinson and DeKalb county school system