ATLANTA — Fulton County Schools Superintendent Jeff Rose announced today he will not seek renewal of his contract.
Rose made the announcement today after the school board returned from a more than hour long closed-door session to discuss his contract.
Rose said he’s resigning for personal reasons and after “prayer and conversation” with his wife. He read a statement touting gains in student achievement during his time as the district’s top leader.
“I will leave my leadership post with my head held high,” he said.
Rose became Fulton’s superintendent in 2016. His initial contract ended May 31, 2019, and requires notification at least one year before the contract expires if the board doesn’t intend to renew the contract.
In June, the school board extended Rose’s contract until Oct. 31, 2019. The board chairwoman has said the extra months were to allow more time to gather information before the board did its annual review.
Rose previously was the superintendent of the Beaverton School District in Oregon before accepting the Fulton job.
Since June of 2005, Fulton has had four superintendents and one interim, who held the post in between Rose and Robert Avossa, who left in 2015 for a Florida school district.
Researchers vary in their estimates of how long superintendents last.
In May, the Broad Center published a report that found the average superintendent of large districts stays about 6.16 years in the position before departing. The analysis looked at superintendents who had completed their tenures at the county’s biggest 100 school districts during a 15-year period starting in 2003. Fulton County Schools is listed in the report as No. 31 of 100 districts.
Cox Media Group
