New Interim Principal for Jackson High School

Atlanta Public Schools on Friday said it named four interim principals to district high schools, including in Grant Park.

Thomas Kenner, a former principal at the former Usher Middle School and Young Middle School, replaces Shirline Carter, Jackson's current principal.

An APS spokesman said he had no immediate comment on Carter's status.

Kenner's appointment will be presented to the APS Board of Education for approval at it's July 9 board meeting.

APS posted for the position in April.

The replacement is not a surprise; a hoped-for change had been openly discussed for months at many neighborhood meetings of several communities that feed into Jackson, including Grant Park, Ormewood Park and East Atlanta.

Jackson lags its peers in graduation rates and parents whose children are in its attendance zone, have been concerned about its dropout rate, too.

The school ranks 375th out of 399 high schools statewide.

The leadership change comes as APS has earmarked some $40 million toward Jackson in a plan designed to bring .

Three other schools in East Atlanta Patch also have open positions:

• King Middle School in Grant Park
• Hope-Hill Elementary in Old Fourth Ward
• D.H. Stanton Elementary School in Peoplestown

But no final decisions have been made, APS said.