Deal, Reed to Meet With APS School Board, Superintendent

Gov. Nathan Deal said Thursday that he and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed will meet with the Atlanta school board next week to determine its progress on the APS accreditation probation.

Speaking to the Buckhead Business Association's quarterly luncheon meeting, Deal said that he and Reed will meet with the board and outgoing APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall. "We will receive a full report from them at that time," Deal said.

APS spokesman Keith Bromery said that a time and date for the meeting had not been set.

Deal, who on Wednesday signed SB 79, which allows him to remove school board members if full accreditation is not achieved by July 1, characterized the legislation as a backstop tool to project the school system's students who would have their college prospects damaged by the loss of accreditation.

"I hope that we will not have to use that," Deal said. "I hope the board makes the necessary corrections."

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and its parent organization AdvancED in January placed the APS high schools on accreditation probation because of board dissension and gave it six requirements to meet to retain accreditation. In its probation announcement, AdvancED asked the school board to give it a progress report on May 1. Sept. 30 was the deadline for the school board to take all the necessary steps to achieve full accreditation.

Although SB 79 requires the APS to take steps for full accreditation by July 1, or Deal would be able to replace school board members, an AdvancED spokesperson said Thursday that its accreditation team would not visit the school system until September. AdvancED spokesperson Jennifer Oliver said the organization wouldn't comment on the legislation or why the July deadline was imposed in the legislation.

"We will allow the school board to do its thing and make whatever progress it can and we won't comment until September so that we can go in with a completely objective viewpoint."

She said that a SACS team will meet with school officials and several principals in September to determine whether the accreditation requirements had been met. The APS is expected to have a new superintendent by that time, and could possibly have a new board made up of Deal appointees.