The new superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools says he is ready to get to work to move the district forward and make it one of the best in the nation.
“I am incredibly excited to get to work. There won’t be a ton of words. There’ll be a ton of work,” Bryan Johnson said Monday during his swearing-in ceremony.
Johnson started out as a paraprofessional and worked his way through the ranks as a teacher, school administrator and district administrator, including superintendent of Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga. He also has stints in higher education and the private sector.
“I look forward to working with this board to move this district forward. I believe that Atlanta Public Schools will be the absolute best urban school district in the country,” he said. “I don’t say that just because it’s the flattering thing to say in a moment such as this. I say that because there’s deep investment in Atlanta Public Schools, there’s deep talent in Atlanta Public Schools, and there’s a commitment to seeing it happen.”
Monday, Aug. 5, was Johnson’s first official day on the job, but he has been working as a consultant since July 8, after the school board voted to approve him to be the 22nd superintendent of APS.
Johnson said he would spend his first 100 days in office visiting each of APS’s 87 campuses. The visits are part of his 100-day plan that includes reviewing academic organizational structures and student academic data while continuing to receive feedback from school staff and the community.
“You learn a lot in classrooms and in schools,” he said. “That’s where the magic happens.”
Erika Mitchell, chair of the Atlanta School Board, said one of the most important tasks as a board member is selecting a superintendent and Johnson is the right person to lead the district forward.
But the leadership of interim superintendent Dr. Danielle Battle cannot be ignored, Mitchell said.
The school board approved Battle as interim superintendent last year after voting not to renew Dr. Lisa Herring’s contract. Earlier this year, the board extended her contract through the end of the year. She will serve as a consultant to assist with Johnson’s transition.
“Your dedication and service to our students, families are invaluable to this district,” Mitchell told Battle, wiping away tears. “You led with integrity, passion, commitment, dedication, and always facing challenges head-on and making the decision that prioritize our students.”
Johnson was sworn in by Georgia Supreme Court Justice Verda Colvin. Colvin was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp and is the first African-American woman appointed by a Republican governor to the state’s high court.
Colvin told Johnson Atlanta Public Schools’ 150-year history includes producing leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.; Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A; Maynard Jackson, the city of Atlanta’s first Black mayor; and Charlene Hunter-Gault, the first African American woman to attend the University of Georgia and went on to become an award-winning journalist.
She also said she was impressed by Johnson’s resume, but more importantly she was impressed he enrolled his son in Atlanta Public Schools.
“That means more than you know. That one statement, regardless of everything else on your resume, to me, said everything about the reason why you were selected,” Colvin said. “If you care that much about every student, there’s no stopping APS from being number one, as you said, in the nation. And so we look forward to that.”
This story has been updated.