New Principal Coming to Brookwood High School

Brookwood High School is getting a new leader this year as current Principal Debra Dees moves to a new position with Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Dees will become an assistant superintendent for high schools for the Division of School Improvement and Operations, which is part of a new reorganizational structure at GCPS, as announced during the school system's October board meeting. She will continue as principal at the Snellville school until the school board names her replacement.

The new structure was announced in September as being a way to reorganize people and resources to "better support local schools," according to CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks in a news release. 

As part of the reorganization, the school district will continue to operate with six divisions, but four of those divisions have new names that reflect changing or expanded focus— Curriculum and Instructional Support, Human Resources and Talent Management, School Improvement and Operations, and Information Management and Technology. The names of the divisions of Business and Finance and Facilities and Operations were unchanged.

The six divisions are grouped together in two teams. The first is focused on operational concerns, grouping together the divisions of Business and Finance, Facilities and Operations, and Information Management and Technology.
The second team focuses on teaching and learning and groups together the divisions of Curriculum and Instructional Support, Human Resources and Talent Management, and School Improvement and Operations.

The major change of the restructuring is how the district will provide support to local schools through the Division of School Improvement and Operations. The area superintendent positions have changed from being cluster-specific “area superintendents” to level-specific “assistant superintendents.” Four assistant superintendents are assigned at the elementary school level, two assistant superintendents are working with middle schools, and at the high school level there are two assistant superintendents, one of them being Dees.

Here are the staff changes made by the reorganization so far:

Division of Curriculum and Instructional Support:

• Dr. Gale Hey, associate superintendent for Curriculum and Instructional Support, has announced she will be retiring in December.
  
• Dr. Jonathan Patterson, currently an assistant superintendent, will become the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instructional Support upon Dr. Hey’s retirement in December.
• Dr. Nikki Mouton, executive director for Staff Development, will transfer to become the district’s Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction. This position has been vacant since last spring.

• Dr. Kevin Tashlein, principal of Peachtree Ridge High, will become the Associate Superintendent for School Improvement and Operations.
• Dr. Craig Barlow, principal of Riverside Elementary, will become an Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools.
• Ms. Debra Dees, principal of Brookwood High, will become an Assistant Superintendent for High Schools.
• Mr. Ed Shaddix, principal of North Gwinnett High, will become an Assistant Superintendent for High Schools.