Art Johnson.
Now that Wayne Gent has announced he’ll be leaving the superintendent’s post when his contract is up, talk will turn to who comes next. And at least one name is bound to bubble up: Art Johnson.
“Dr. J”, as he’s often referred to in school circles, took a settlement for his early resignation from the very same job in 2011, but he never really left… he continues to attend meetings as the front man for the county’s public school principals.
What does Johnson have to say? “I don’t give interviews and I don’t make comments.”
Two board members who signed off on Johnson’s departure and who now must fill the seat again did comment.
Board Chairman Chuck Shaw: “Art has had his turn. I’m going to leave it at that.”
Board member Debra Robinson was a tad more colorful: “I like Art. Art was a great superintendent. I think that, let me find a nice way to say it, that dog don’t hunt no more. I’m really glad he continues to provide input to the district but I don’t think…(pause) I’m looking at moving forward.”
Johnson is somewhat of a school politics phoenix. He has been a principal and an area superintendent- only to see that job end in 1997 after an investigation into discipline problems during his tenure at Spanish River High. But he came back, winning a seat on the school board. He went from there to chief academic officer and then to superintendent – a position from which he later resigned in another swirl of controversy.
