Birmingham Superintendent Lisa Herring Stepping Down To Lead Atlanta Public Schools
Birmingham school Superintendent Lisa Herring is leaving to become superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. She is expected to remain head of Birmingham City Schools through the end of May, at which point she will return to her home state of Georgia.
The Birmingham school system announced Tuesday Herring has been named the “sole finalist” for the post in Atlanta.
A native of Macon, Herring told AL.com the move to Atlanta is “something like a homecoming” though accepting the position was still “bittersweet.”
Herring assumed her role with Birmingham City Schools in May of 2017, replacing interim Superintendent Larry Contri. She was previously chief academic officer at Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, which has more than 100,000 students, four times more than Birmingham’s 23,000. Herring’s contract with BCS was renewed in 2018 and was set to last through 2022.
During her tenure, she increased Birmingham’s grade on the most recent Alabama Education Report Card from an “F” to a “C.” Her most lasting contribution, however, may be regaining full accreditation from AdvancED, a private accreditation firm. The system was put on probation in 2013, largely a result of infighting between former Superintendent Craig Witherspoon and the Board of Education. Regaining systemwide accreditation required many steps that proved difficult for years, such as increasing cash reserves and improving governance structures across the system.
Herring’s tenure received high praise from both the president of the Birmingham Board of Education and Mayor Randall Woodfin.
“If I’m being honest, this kind of saddens me,” Woodfin said of Herring’s departure. “I consider her a friend and a peer in leading change in a system that has struggled to live up to its promise.”
When Herring steps down, the school system will once again be tasked with finding a new leader, the 11th in just 21 years.
A developing political scandal in Florida has Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive
A developing political scandal in Florida has put Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive. Republican lawmakers are investigating how $10 million in state money was diverted for use in a campaign.
Artists wanted for Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes
The National Endowment for the Humanities says the project will "honor the statesmen, visionaries, and innovators who shaped the nation." It's a lot of statues.
More than 50 House Democrats demand answers after whistleblower report on DOGE
Members of the Congressional Labor Caucus wrote the letter after NPR reported that a whistleblower says DOGE may have removed sensitive labor data and compromised the security of computer systems.
Home sales just posted their biggest monthly fall since 2022
More inventory hitting the market was expected to drive sales. Instead, existing home sales suggest a continued slump in the housing market, with mortgage rates hurting affordability.
Judge pauses parts of Trump’s sweeping executive order on voting
A federal judge has paused a key section of President Trump's executive order that makes sweeping changes to voting and elections.
After nearly 50 years cooped up inside, Rockalina the turtle finds the great outdoors
Rockalina was an adult eastern box turtle living in the wild when she was taken into a New York home in 1977. When a reptile rehabilitation center got a hold of her this February, they worried for her survival.
