Dr. Michael Looney
Georgia’s fourth-largest school district just appointed a new superintendent who previously led the Williamson County, Tennessee, school system. Dr. Michael Looney is praised by his former school board, but social media in Fulton County is buzzing about Looney’s past implementation of “Cultural Competency” professional development training for teachers.
It resulted in some parents opposing various topics and led the Williamson County Republican Party to start a petition against it. One topic discussed was so-called “white privilege,” which Looney later admitted was “a mistake” and he also conceded that the video series “wasn’t perfect.”
Looney, of course, will soon oversee professional development in the Fulton County system— but he will have to follow Georgia state guidelines.
In response to opponents of his “Cultural Competency” series back in Tennessee, he said: “Let me assure you we have no intentions to indoctrinate teachers, employees or children in Williamson County Schools. This is not a liberal or conservative agenda topic for us.”
According to The Williamson Herald, Looney explained that the “Cultural Competency” training series originated within the district as a response to parents’ concerns regarding how employees are treating children and addressing culturally sensitive topics such as race.
Overseers of the training series, Looney told the newspaper, helped to present a “more balanced” story on historical issues in social studies. “Our intent was never to disenfranchise any single group,” Looney said. “It was an intent to bring us together.”
The superintendent has been hired to address basics – ranging from boosting student test scores to curbing the high school dropout rate— and insiders say the Fulton Board of Education has no appetite for any divisive training programs like the one Looney himself criticized.
Looney begins a three-year contract on June 17th at a $329,000 annual salary.
