Atlanta Public Schools board to swear in new interim superintendent

Atlanta Public Schools' newly-appointed interim superintendent will take her oath of office Monday.

The Atlanta Board of Education will swear in Dr. Danielle Battle at 10 a.m. Monday in Downtown Atlanta.

While the board announced in June that superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring would stay on until June 2024, in August, Herring said that she would leave the position 10 months early and instead act as a consultant for the school system until the end of the year.

Dr. Danielle Battle

Dr. Danielle Battle  (Atlanta Public Schools)

Who is APS interim superintendent Dr. Danielle Battle?

Dr. Danielle Battle has more than three decades of experience with 19 of those years devoted to Atlanta Public Schools for nearly two decades. During her tenure, she held a range of leadership roles before her retirement in June 2021.

Battle has served as a principal of Parkside Elementary and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. She also served as associate superintendent and interim chief of schools and academics.

Prior to her arrival in Georgia, she spent 11 years as a teacher and principal in North Carolina.

"We are extremely thrilled to welcome our students back and launch another incredible school year. Our responsibility and obligation to our APS students, families and employees remain our top priorities and will be mirrored in the thoughtful and considerate selection of our next superintendent and throughout this time of transition. Dr. Battle will continue to advance the Board’s goals around literacy and numeracy proficiency, post-graduation preparedness, and college and career readiness. With strong roots in the community, we know Dr. Battle will collaborate well with administrators and staff, and effectively engage with all constituent groups during her time as our Interim Superintendent," Collins added.

Dr. Battle will serve as interim superintendent through July 2024.

A national search firm has been hired to help fill the post by then.