Evanston/Skokie District 65 Superintendent Dr. Devon Horton was on April 4 announced as the sole superintendent finalist at the DeKalb County School District outside Atlanta.
“For three years, I had the honor of serving the Evanston/Skokie community and leading an extraordinary team in support of our students,” Horton said in a news release. “I am deeply grateful to the District 65 School Board for believing in me and providing me with this opportunity.”
Horton served in District 65 for three years with a variety of accomplishments, including launching the Academic Skill Centers for high dosage tutoring, bringing a school to Evanston’s Fifth Ward and diversifying the district’s teaching staff with its CREATE 65 Teacher Residency despite the national teacher shortage, according to a District 65 news release.
“Dr. Horton will be sorely missed. The board and I wish him and his family continued success as he moves on to his next great opportunity to bring much needed transformative racial equity change within the American educational system,” District 65 Board President Sergio Hernandez said.
Horton’s more than two-decade career in education has taken him around the country with positions in Kentucky, Illinois and now Georgia. More than 13 of those years were in the Chicago Public Schools system. He says he is proud of what the district has accomplished during his tenure despite its beginning during the pandemic, which he says was “one of the most challenging periods in public education.”
The DeKalb County School District is located east of Atlanta with roughly 14,000 employees and 92,000 students with a $2.6 billion budget. The district’s previous Superintendent, Cheryl Watson-Harris, was granted a three-year contract with a $325,000 base salary in 2020. Horton’s salary at District 65 is $262,500 with a $30,000 annual annuity. Watson-Harris was allegedly fired from the DeKalb County School District in May 2022 after concerns about facility conditions were brought forth.
“Dr. Horton has an impressive track record of leading districts with diverse student populations and implementing initiatives that promote academic success,” DeKalb County School District Board Chair Dijon DaCosta said.
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Horton was selected as the sole finalist after a nationwide search consisting of 29 applicants. According to a DeKalb County School District news release, the search was a collaboration between the DeKalb County Board of Education and the Georgia School Boards Association.
An official District 65 announcement on leadership transition and its superintendent search process will come later this month, according to a news release.
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.