At the January 12 school board work session, the school board approved Dr. Eldrick Horton as principal for the new elementary school under construction on Feldwood Road in College Park. District 1 Board member Linda Schultz also was elected to a one-year term as vice president of the school board.
Horton named Feldwood Road elementary school principal
Dr. Horton has worked in public and private education for more than 26 years, and has been an elementary school principal, a middle school teacher and a high school principal. He joined the Fulton County School System in 2006 as principal of Tri-Cities High School and before that he worked in Atlanta Public Schools as a principal and as a central office administrator.
Earlier this month Dr. Horton was profiled in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for his effectiveness as a school leader and for raising student achievement. Under his leadership, SAT scores have risen 72 points at Tri-Cities High School over the past two years. He will bring this same focus to instruction and continuous improvement to his new post.
Dr. Horton holds a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology from Morehouse College and a master’s degree in educational psychology and measurement from Atlanta University. He earned his doctoral degree in educational leadership and change from The Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Though he officially begins his new position after completing the current school year at Tri-Cities, Dr. Horton will remain closely involved with the elementary school’s construction and start-up responsibilities. One of his first priorities will be to staff the new school and to form a community committee for developing a unique school identity, such as its official name, mascot and colors. The yet-to-be-named school opens in August 2010.
District 1 Board member Linda Schultz elected vice president
Mrs. Schultz represents District 1, which includes the Roswell and Alpharetta areas. Before serving on the school board, she advocated for children and public education for more than 12 years. Her experience in education policy ranges from the local school level to Washington, D.C.
At the state level, Mrs. Schultz has served as legislative chair for the Georgia PTA, where her accomplishments include securing state funding for clinic aides, increasing state funding for education, lowering class sizes, and advocating stronger teen driving laws and policies to reduce underage drinking. She also served on the State Standards and Grading Committee which was responsible for developing the new state accountability system required under No Child Left Behind and was appointed by former Lt. Governor Mark Taylor to the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Young Driver and DUI Study Commission.
Mrs. Schultz began her first term on the school board in 2005 and was re-elected to another four-year term in 2008. In addition to the school board, she works as web consultant for the Georgia School Council Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to education reform and community involvement in schools.
This is the second time Mrs. Schultz has been elected vice president by her board member peers.
