By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 23, 2021 | Last week’s discharge of School Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks from his post leading the Gwinnett County Board of Education came as no surprise. The Black majority on the board made good on its promise to voters to replace him.
Now the only immediate question is who will replace him. We anticipate, no surprise here, that the Black majority will come up with the “best qualified candidate” who just happens also to be Black. This is not racism on our part for saying that. The majority of the board itself already introduced racism into the operations of the board.
For years, Gwinnett County has seen its southern neighbor go through the pains of growth in many ways. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, DeKalb County had the reputation across Georgia as having the best school district in the state. The leader of that system then was Jim Cherry, who was their superintendent from 1947 to 1972, a long tenure that brought distinction to that school system for its high quality of instruction, and continual exceptional graduates.
Mr. Cherry led its school system through its period of initial integration. He was also instrumental in the development of the Fernbank Science Center, in cooperation with the school system. He retired in 1972 and died in Atlanta in 1980.
Wilbanks
Both Jim Cherry and Alvin Wilbanks led their school districts for over 25 years with neither of them being an educator with a doctoral degree. They were both simply solid individuals who were superb leaders. Each was recognized nationally in the education community.
When any organization has been at its zenith for years, it can expect to see a reduced status eventually. That certainly happened in DeKalb County overall, and in its school system in particular. Unfortunately, over the years, the DeKalb County government also got a reputation of being difficult to work with. Some even threw in the term “nepotism” about its operations. It got to the point that people in Gwinnett were saying “We don’t want to be like what DeKalb has become.”
In recent years, DeKalb’s School Board has seen more and more problems. Several persons have been picked to be its superintendent, only to stay a short time. At one time, they had three superintendents in three years. That does not speak toward an exceptional system.
So the question arises in Gwinnett: will its Board of Education follow the DeKalb model, and see the quality of its school program of instruction fall? Can the high quality of the Gwinnett educational program continue?
We’ll look to the Black majority on the School Board to provide the answer. We hope they are successful.
It was gratifying to see the graciousness of Alvin Wilbanks in his statement after essentially being fired. He said: “While I was prepared to fulfill my contract through June of 2022, recent discussions with the school board made it clear that would not be the case.
“I appreciate the support I have received over the years, and, especially most recently, from staff members, parents, and community members. I want you all to know what a pleasure it has been to lead this district, to be a part of the GCPS family, and to be a contributing member of this great community. I know that when the time comes, I will proudly hand back to the Gwinnett County Board of Education and our community a school district that is in better shape today than it was when I became superintendent.”
Go in peace, Alvin. You have served well. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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