Kent School District Superintendent Calvin Watts records a video message about the 2020-2021 school year. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District

Kent School District Superintendent Calvin Watts records a video message about the 2020-2021 school year. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District

Kent School District superintendent Watts to take job in Georgia

Leader survived two controversial votes over past year to keep Kent position

Kent School District Superintendent Calvin Watts is heading back to Georgia to become superintendent of the Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Watts, who survived two controversial 3-2 votes by the Kent School Board in the last year to remain superintendent, is the sole finalist to be the next Gwinnett County Public Schools leader, according to a July 15 article on gwinnettdailypost.com.

The Gwinnett County Board of Education voted unanimously July 15 to pick Watts as the sole finalist and is required under state law in Georgia to wait 14 days before taking a final vote to hire Watts, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post. The board is expected to vote July 29 on hiring Watts. Twenty-seven people applied for the job.

“GCPS has a long history of success and (longtime superintendent) J. Alvin Wilbanks leaves a great legacy,” said Watts, who joined the meeting virtually, according to the article. “Certainly with the support and assistance of our Board of Education, our students, our families, our teachers, our principals and assistant principals, support staff as well as our faith-based and community partners and volunteers, I look forward to leading Gwinnett County Public Schools towards its next chapter and trajectory of greatness for each and every school.”

Watts was an assistant superintendent for the district before taking the Kent job in 2015 at an annual salary of $250,000 per year and signing a three-year contract. Watts now makes $279,500 per year with the Kent School District.

The Kent School Board voted 3-2 in June to extend Watts’ contract to June 2023. The board also voted 3-2 in August 2020 to extend his contract to June 2022.

The terms of board members Denise Daniels and Maya Vengadasalam, who voted each time to extend the contract of Watts, expire this year and neither is running for reelection. Board members Leslie Hamada and Michele Bettinger voted against the contract extensions. They each have two years left on their terms.

Joe Bento cast the deciding vote in June to keep Watts. The board chose Bento in February to replace Leah Bowen, who resigned. Bowen had the deciding vote in 2020. Bento, who is running unopposed in November, said he approved of an extension of the contract to see what Watts could do during a year without the challenges of the pandemic.

Bettinger said that she wanted to see more support for inclusive ed students. Hamada said she wanted to wait to vote on Watts’ contract extension until two new board members are elected in November.

Vengadasalam and Daniels agreed to extend Watts’ contract in part because of the return this fall to in-person learning, school boundary decisions are coming up, two new schools are opening in the fall, the district will seek approval of another levy next year and the district much decide how to spend federal COVID-19 relief funds.

In 2018, the board had another 3-1 split vote to keep Watts on the job.

Watts worked several principal jobs in Gwinnett County Public Schools before becoming an assistant superintendent in 2008. He started with the district in 2001.

“I have always referred to Gwinnett County Public Schools as the place where I grew up professionally,” Watts said.

The Gwinnett County Public Schools Board voted earlier this year to terminate the contract of Wilbanks 11 months early, effective the end of this month, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post. Wilbanks has led the district since 1996. He had said he was not planning to seek an extension beyond his contract’s original expiration date of June 30, 2022. He was the highest paid superintendent in Georgia, making more than $600,000 a year, according to the newspaper.

School board chairman Everton Blair Jr. told the local paper that a contract still has to be negotiated with Watts as to how much he will be paid.

Although Watts plans to return to Georgia, he grew up in Bellevue and lived in Tukwila in the early 1990s after taking his first teaching job at South Shore Middle School, which is now Aki Kurose Middle School in Seattle.

The Kent School Board hired Watts after a nationwide search to replace Edward Lee Vargas, who was superintendent for six years until leaving the post to accept a job as executive vice president of AVID, a national nonprofit college readiness program in California.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. File Photo
SeaTac man pleads not guilty to charges in high-speed crash

Reportedly driving 111 mph prior to collision that killed 38-year-old woman

File Photo
Kent Police respond to two 911 calls to help children in need

One of the calls leads to arrest of family friend for investigation of child molestation

COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
Kent School District thanks voters for $97.8 million levy approval

Final results show 50.77% voted yes on three-year measure

t
Medical examiner identifies SeaTac man, 21, shot in Kent on West Hill

Khamal J. Blissitt was driving vehicle Nov. 21 on Veterans Drive near Military Road South

State Capitol in Olympia. COURTESY PHOTO, State of Washington
Five 33rd District candidates seek to replace retiring Sen. Keiser

Six Democratic candidates seek state House seat if Orwall or Gregerson chosen as replacement

t
Four WSP vehicles struck in King County, first one in Kent

Crashes during 4-hour period on King County roads; no troopers injured; 3 DUI arrests

File Photo
Kent man, 21, killed in West Meeker Street parking lot shooting

Suspect fired five to 12 shots before fleeing; shooter and victim reportedly knew each other

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Kent City Council approves B&O tax increases to hire more police

Additional revenue will pay for four police department positions

t
King County executive will nominate replacements for Upthegrove

District 5, which includes parts of Kent, will get new representative on County Council in January

t
SeaTac man, 21, fatally shot in vehicle in Kent on West Hill

Someone ran up and fired multiple shots into vehicle Nov. 21 at Veterans Drive and Military Road

Kentwood High School, 25800 164th Ave. SE, in Covington, remained without power Thursday morning, Nov. 21, according to Puget Sound Energy. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
Kent schools remain closed due to windstorm damage, power outages

Second consecutive day of closures Thursday, Nov. 21 across the Kent School District