Gov.-elect asks state school board members to resign

ATLANTA - Republican Gov.-elect Sonny Perdue has asked six members of the mostly Democratic state school board to resign and plans to ask the others to leave soon, officials confirmed Friday. <br> <br> ``He is asking everyone to submit their resignations ... so he can form his own team,&#39;&#39; said Perdue spokeswoman Erin O&#39;Brien, who would not name the six board members. <br> <br> Perdue, who criticized Gov. Roy Barnes&#39; record on education during the campaign, has pledged to review the education reforms Barnes pushed through the Legislature three years ago. <br> <br> The resignation requests did not come as a surprise to many board members. <br> <br> ``The one thing we never had was a team rowing in the same direction,&#39;&#39; said board Chairwoman Kathy Henson. ``This administration deserves a team of its own choosing.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Henson, who met with Perdue on Thursday, said the board would leave it up to the governor-elect to make an announcement about the resignations. <br> <br> ``If asked, I will resign,&#39;&#39; Henson said. ``So you can assume if I resign, I will have been asked.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Henson often supported Barnes&#39; policies, creating conflict between her and outgoing state School Superintendent Linda Schrenko. <br> <br> Schrenko, the first woman and first Republican to hold the post, said she was glad to see board members go. <br> <br> ``Nothing makes me happier than they have been asked to resign,&#39;&#39; she said. ``As long as they are there, they are in a lot of trouble.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The board, which will expand from 11 to 13 seats this year, is appointed by congressional districts. After Perdue is sworn in Monday, he will be able to fill at least five seats and perhaps more depending on who resigns. <br> <br> Board member Bruce Jackson said Friday he has not been contacted by Perdue&#39;s team and remains undecided if he will resign. <br> <br> ``I have not received a single word from the governor-elect,&#39;&#39; Jackson said. ``You would think they would have called by now.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Two other board members, Tom Upchurch and John Foster, already have sent letters of resignation to the board. <br> <br> ``(Perdue) needs his own team,&#39;&#39; Foster said.