Decatur Superintendent David Dude Leaves District

DECATUR, GA — The City Schools of Decatur announced Tuesday that it is parting ways with Superintendent David Dude.

The district released a statement Tuesday saying the school board and Dude "mutually agree to amicably part ways." The announcement comes 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.

It is not clear if this investigation will continue now that he is no longer the superintendent.

“The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education and Dr. David Dude feel it is in the best interest of the school community and our stakeholders that we start anew as we begin our recovery from this terrible pandemic," the statement reads. "We mutually agree to amicably part ways, and both parties are looking forward to the future."

The decision also comes after months of investigative reporting by Decaturish.com that dug into allegations raised by the district's former human resources officer, David Adams. Adams alleges in a lawsuit that Dude ushered him and former Finance Director Susan Hurst out of the district in 2019 when they raised questions about "financially unethical conduct," the lawsuit reads.

In Dude's contract, the superintendent is allowed to cash out payment for unused vacation days. Adams alleges in the lawsuit that Dude was underreporting his time off and cashing out payments for vacation days he said he didn't use, but he did.

Decaturish reported in February that based on open records requests, Dude did not document the payment from his unused vacation days since 2016 in the district's payroll system until Jan. 27, 2021 — in response to the open records request from Decaturish. Records from early March also showed Dude was out-of-office on days he didn't record as vacation days, particularly in the summer of 2019, Decaturish reported March 9.

Additionally, when the board approved Dude's now-rescinded contract in September 2020, Dude's Professional Standards Commission certification had lapsed because it expired in June, Decaturish reported. Dude did not renew it until October — a clear violation of his contract, which states that a valid certification is required for a superintendent's employment in the district.

A City Schools of Decatur spokesperson told Decaturish the COVID-19 pandemic was the reason Dude’s certification lapsed. However, PSC did not cancel any reporting periods due to COVID-19.

Assistant Superintendent Maggie Fehrman was serving in the interim capacity while Dude was on leave. The school board named her the lone finalist as Dude's replacement and will vote on approving a one-year contract for her at its May 11 meeting.

“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 the 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.”

“I am humbled and honored to serve the students, staff, and community of Decatur,” Fehrman said in the 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.”

You can read the full district statement here.

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