By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 22, 2021 | Like a hand grenade about ready to explode, the minority members of the Gwinnett Board of Education are seeking to compel veteran School Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks to resign. A widely circulated petition entitled “Termination of Employment,” comes anonymously from “We, the concerned stakeholders of Gwinnett County Public Schools” to terminate Mr. Wilbanks’ contract.
Two new school board members, Dr. Tarece Johnson and Karen Watkins, joined the board on January 1. With Everton Blair Jr., they form a black majority on the board. The initial open effort for the termination came on December 30 in a Zoom-called meeting. Since then the petition has been circulating seeking the superintendent’s resignation.
The two minority white members of the school board are Dr. Mary Kay Murphy and Steve Knudson.
Wilbanks
GwinnettForum talked with Mr. Wilbanks, 77, on Wednesday, who said he has “No intention of resigning. I intend to come to work every day, and if someone doesn’t want that to happen, they have to take action.”
His contract with the school board continues until June 30, 2022. This is his 56th year in education, and his 25th year as superintendent.
The Wilbanks tenure with the Gwinnett system has been marked by a succession of accomplishments, with the administration and elected members of the school board working together seamlessly. During his administration, the Gwinnett School Board has moved from a good system to a superior one, winning state and national awards for excellence, and also became the largest system in Georgia with 178,000 students.
In the petition calling for Wilbanks’ removal, it maintains Mr. Wilbanks “does not have the students’ best interest. Mr. Wilbanks has engaged in nepotism ….and has implemented a exclusionary process of decision-making that stymies equitable representation.” It asks the school board to exercise a 90 day notice of termination to end the contract.
The petition also injects race into the situation, saying that “students of color from low-income families and students with disabilities have been abandoned by GCPS.” It also maintains that black students are over-represented in discipline and under-represented in academic opportunities.” The petition also claims other reasons that the school board should no longer be guided by Alvin Wilbanks.
- To read the two-page petition, click here for page 1; click here for page 2.
The Gwinnett school-age population in 2021 consists of:
- Hispanic, 32.7 percent.
- Black, 32.4 percent.
- White, 19.4 percent.
- Asian, 11.3 percent.
- Multi-racial, 4.1 percent.
- American Indian, 0.1 percent
Wilbanks doesn’t mince words about the situation. “It’s just one of those things. You have two new members who think they know everything, and listen to no one. They want change, but do not know what change they want (other than my resignation). Civic service is a foreign term for them. They want power and control.”
A related item circulating on the Internet this week is another anonymous effort, a 4.31 minute animated YouTube video seeking the resignation of Mr. Wilbanks. You can see this video by clicking here.
GwinnettForum stands behind the effort to keep Alvin Wilbanks as superintendent. He has served long and well, with tremendous results. Gwinnett would be taking a step backward if this new majority on the school board has its way.
Meanwhile, as this was being written, the school board had a planned meeting on Thursday (January 21), with the work session beginning at 2 p.m. and the regular monthly business meeting at 7 p.m. In addition to the regular items on the agenda, some 79 individuals signed up to address the board.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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