City Schools Of Decatur Hires New Superintendent

DECATUR, GA — City Schools of Decatur officially has a new superintendent: Maggie Fehrman, the former assistant superintendent for the district.

The CSD school board voted Tuesday to approve a one-year contract for her to take over as superintendent after the district and Fehrman's predecessor, David Dude, "mutually agreed to amicably part ways" in late April.

That announcement came just over a week after the board placed Dude on paid administrative leave amid an investigation into his business conduct and allegations that he was underreporting his use of vacation days, in addition to months-long investigative reporting by Decaturish.

"I am humbled and honored to serve the students, staff, and community of Decatur," Fehrman said in a previous statement. "I look forward to engaging with all stakeholder groups to ensure that our classrooms are a place where all students love learning and are challenged to meet the highest levels of success."

Fehrman's contract explicitly states she must track her vacation days in the district's payroll system — something Dude did not do. Instead, he tracked his own vacation days and inputted them into the system years after taking the days off, Decaturish reported.

Fehrman previously served as the assistant superintendent under Dude's leadership. She took over as interim superintendent when he was placed on administrative leave, and was named the sole finalist to permanently replace him when the district announced his departure April 27.

"We are fortunate to have in Dr. Fehrman the leader City Schools of Decatur needs to ensure a continued focus on our students," Board Chair Tasha White said in a previous statement. "We will not miss a beat as we finish this school year strong, focus this summer on remediation, and return to the classroom this fall with great confidence."

SEE ALSO:

• Decatur Superintendent David Dude Leaves District
• Decatur Schools To Overhaul Superintendent Contract Amid Lawsuits