What’s next for Hamilton County Schools after Dr. Bryan Johnson?

The news shouldn’t have been surprising, but yet it was. The fact that Dr. Bryan Johnson is leaving after serving as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools after four years actually makes sense in many ways. He’s long been considered a rising star in the education field who could write his own ticket to bigger and better things. It is unfortunate that his departure, scheduled for August 17, coincides with the beginning of a new school year. But when opportunity knocks, it doesn’t always take the calendar into consideration.

Here are some personal observations. My first conversation with Dr. Johnson, shortly after he was hired in a 5-4 vote by a divided school board, revealed a lot. This was a young man (then 34) who had done his homework. When I reached him by phone, I started to identify myself when he interrupted. “Oh, I know who you are. You predicted I would get this job a long time ago.”

I was taken aback, because I had only heard of him a few weeks earlier when board members narrowed the field of candidates. He was unknown in our community after serving thirteen years in Clarksville-Montgomery County, TN schools, advancing to the post of Chief Academic Officer. How could I have possibly predicted his hiring in Hamilton County?

He refreshed my memory. In January 2016, I wrote this column, as Superintendent Rick Smith was negotiating a buyout after a series of controversies had ended his tenure. Smith was a 30-year veteran of Hamilton County schools, who had replaced a long line of largely unsuccessful out-of-town hires. In each case, there was no farewell party, but plenty of lingering bitterness. Speculating on the choice of a new superintendent, I wrote, “I think you’ll see a new face from somewhere in Tennessee. That person will be younger, and will have a doctoral degree. Whoever it is, will provide the county with a fresh start, which is what the public seems to want.”

“You described me to a T,” Dr. Johnson told me. Eighteen months after that column had been written, he was that new face who offered a fresh start.

Three months later, I attended Dr. Johnson’s first school board weekend retreat. These workshops are held off school property, providing an informal setting for board members to speak candidly, ask questions, and get background from central office staffers. In past years, I had observed a lot of venting and ranting, which board members had felt free to do, since the retreats were largely out of the public spotlight.

The first thing I noticed was that unlike most superintendents, Dr. Johnson spoke softly. He was not a bullhorn-voiced “my way or the highway” guy. There was a refreshing lack of rancor in the room. The new school leader had a plan which included big goals, such as making Hamilton County “the fastest growing, most rapidly improving school district in Tennessee.” He had 75 schools under his wing, many of them among the lowest-rated in the state. Quite frankly, there was nowhere to go but up, and he wanted to get there in a hurry.

The next day I wrote that for the first time in recent memory, the Hamilton County School Board appeared to be “on the same page.” Even board members who were frequently skeptical (and who had not voted for Dr. Johnson) seemed willing to give the new guy a chance.

What I have witnessed in the four years since his arrival has been nothing short of remarkable. Let’s be honest. If you’re running an enterprise with a few dozen central office staffers, 75 school principals, 4,000 teachers, nine anxiously hovering school board members, and nine county commissioners who hold the purse strings, you will not be loved by everyone. But Dr. Johnson has managed to navigate the political waters skillfully, and he has convinced the huge majority of those who work for him that they all play for the same team. He has won widespread parental support as well.

(Side note: I have read comments from Facebook users implying that School Board member Rhonda Thurman “helped run him off” and other such nonsense. Mrs. Thurman would be the first to tell you that while she does not always agree with Dr. Johnson, she likes him personally, and has a good relationship with him. He respects her positions, and the two have maintained a positive discourse. She ranks him quite favorably compared to most of his predecessors she has served with during her 17 years on the board.)

As soon as academic performance began to rise, and his effectiveness as a leader became evident, widespread attention began to roll in. A glowing profile in Education Week, a prestigious national publication. The award for Tennessee Superintendent of the Year, which led to his status as one of five finalists for the national honor. And growing recognition from Chattanooga’s movers and shakers, with whom he had partnered on successful projects like the Howard Connect Academy, Future Ready Institutes, and a long-awaited new vocational school now set to open in 2022.

It is no wonder that Dr. Johnson’s next move will be to the private sector in Chattanooga. (Officials with U.S. Xpress tell me he has taken a newly created position of Chief of Staff at the Chattanooga-based trucking and logistics business). 

So who will be the next superintendent? Dr. Johnson’s Deputy Superintendent Nakia Towns is likely to serve on an interim basis while the board conducts a search. She is not interested in applying for the position on a long-term basis, although she has sought superintendent jobs outside the district.

Assuming that is the case, I think Dr. Johnson will, in a manner of speaking, “choose” his successor. Most board members are extremely satisfied with the results of his leadership style, and they want more of the same. I think it is very likely there will be conversations along the line of, “Dr. Johnson, who among your department heads would be most likely to keep us moving forward?”

It is widely believed that Dr. Justin Robertson will be an answer to that question. He has the hometown credentials, he as served as principal at every level, and he has been Dr. Johnson’s right-hand man as the district’s Chief Operating Officer. Others point to Neelie Parker, another former principal who now serves as Chief Schools Officer.

Others could certainly throw their hats into the ring. Longtime administrator Dr. Jill Levine, recently assigned as principal at the Center for Creative Arts, was in the running in 2017. Dr. Elaine Swafford, an HCDE veteran who now leads the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy has also been mentioned. Dr. LeAndrea Ware, principal of the Howard School has been honored on a statewide basis for helping turn around that school. Dr. Johnson’s salary is currently just north of $250,000, so there is plenty of incentive for a “local” to show interest in a promotion to the big office. If there is a national search, as was the case in 2017, the applications will roll in.

Some believe the timing of Dr. Johnson’s announcement could discourage some qualified out-of-towners from offering their services. The belief is, “If they’re any good, they’re already under contract somewhere for this school year.”

So, I would think some current central office administrators are definite front-runners, but as we have learned in the past, you don’t move into the office until all the votes are counted.

The only thing I can say with certainty is that Dr. Bryan Johnson, in my dealings, has been open, honest, transparent and accessible, and will be a tough act to follow.