The troubled Atlanta Public School system has a new superintendent. The city’s school board today hired its interim leader, former University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll Davis, to a one-year contract today.

The decision comes as Atlanta is under a national spotlight after a state investigation uncovered cheating in nearly half its elementary and middle schools. Atlanta school board members say hiring Davis for the year will provide stability as it deals with the fallout.

Under Davis’ initial plan to move forward, schools whose test scores appear to rise too quickly will automatically be investigated for cheating, and the district will re-evaluate the test score targets schools must meet.

Davis also plans to provide extra academic help to students whose test scores were falsified. Last year the district enrolled thousands of students with low scores in a remedial program.

"On its face, given the history now, that’s certainly deficient by its very nature," Davis says. "And so we have to look at what can we put in place differently if not permanently to address those concerns."

The initial plan also mandates ethics training for every district employee.

Tags: Atlanta School District, Interim Superintendent Erroll Davis Junior