A Local Feud Proves Toxic

Facing the loss of accreditation, a troubled Georgia school district struggles with the legacy of its fractious, dysfunctional board.

Jonesboro, Ga.

In his well-tailored dark suit, and standing at least a head taller than the reporters surrounding him, John W. Thompson tried to display confidence about the tremendous challenge before him: keeping the Clayton County public school system from losing its accreditation Sept. 1.

But at a joint news conference just two days into his job as “corrective superintendent,” Mr. Thompson heard from state officials assigned by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to work with the district that the task of untangling its governance mess might be virtually impossible.

“I’m not sure any superintendent can fix this,” state school board member William Bradley Bryant said at the April 30 event. In a letter to the governor, he and fellow board member James E. Bostic Jr. even asked to be released from the duty Mr. Perdue had assigned them, a request the governor granted. The two said their efforts to work with members of the warring Clayton County school board had...