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When most Individuals consider elections, they suppose huge. Senate races flush with a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} in money, Presidential elections tallying votes within the tens of tens of millions. However for Atlantans, this yr’s elections are smaller, however no much less impactful for the neighborhood and its youngsters.
The Atlanta Public College (APS) Board is on the poll this yr. Earlier than 2020, all APS Board members have been on the poll on the similar time, elevating considerations of continuity and follow-through if initiatives have been to be carried out by a totally completely different cohort of leaders than those who initially created them. After a 2020 choice to stagger Board elections, nevertheless, Board members serve four-year phrases with one group of seats up for reelection each two years.
The Board, composed of six geographical districts and three at-large seats, has 5 seats up for election this yr: geographic districts 1, 3, and 5, and at-large seats 7 and 9.
APS is among the most consequential college districts in Georgia, mendacity on the epicenter of Georgia’s financial system, college middle, and most bustling metropolis. APS presently serves over 45,000 college students and is that this yr outfitted with a funds of over $1.6 billion. Current upticks in APS revenue from property taxes have allowed for pay will increase for academics, placing APS firmly within the seventy fifth percentile for instructor salaries within the state, in addition to offering sizable bonuses of $5,000 to essentially the most at-risk colleges within the district.
None of those enhancements would have materialized be it not for the Board’s route and for the superintendent that they as a Board are answerable for choosing. The Atlanta Board of Training’s 9 members are in control of establishing the insurance policies and funding plan that run the district and exist as some extent of entry for folks to their youngsters’s training, an obligation the Board fulfills by internet hosting month-to-month public conferences. Board members don’t simply need to be robust leaders, nevertheless; to operate successfully, the Board have to be extremely collaborative, each internally and with mother and father across the district to make sure that the varied wants of scholars and their futures are considered.
Study a bit extra about this yr’s APS candidates:
District 1
College Board District 1 encompasses Southeast Atlanta, residence to Peachtree Middle, Tech Sq., Midtown, Little 5 Factors, and Inman Park. Katie Howard, the District 1 incumbent, is working unopposed. After graduating from Midtown Excessive College, Howard attended Furman College in Greenville, SC, the place she obtained a B.A. in Political Science and City Research in 2000; she now lives in Grant Park. Earlier to her position within the APS Board, she was part of the Atlanta Metropolis Council as a Senior Council Aide and Coverage Advisor to the Council District 8 workplace. In response to her web site, Howard’s focus lies in Social-Emotional Studying, childhood literacy, and fairness.
District 3
College Board District 3 encompasses East Atlanta, together with Cabbagetown, Edgewood, East Atlanta, Virginia-Highland, and Ansley Park. Candidate Michelle Olympiadis is the incumbent and has served within the seat for 5 years. Olympiadis is a first-generation American and the VP of communication for the Georgia Guardian Instructor Affiliation (PTA). She is an APS father or mother and a Board Member of Make investments Atlanta, the “official financial growth authority for the Metropolis of Atlanta.” In response to her web site, she is looking for “one final time period” to serve the individuals of her district. Candidate Ken Zeff is working towards Olympiadis; he’s additionally an APS father or mother, and he was the previous superintendent of Fulton County College. He has a doctorate from Georgia State College and an MBA from the College of Pennsylvania’s Wharton College, and he’s the founding government director of the childhood literacy group Learn4Life. On his web site, he describes his priorities which embrace lowering paperwork within the central workplace and hiring a long-term superintendent.
District 5
College Board District 5 encompasses West Atlanta, which incorporates Grove Park, Carver Hills, Westhaven, Brookview Heights, and Westview. Erika Yvette Mitchell is the incumbent, and he or she has served within the place since 2017. As a scholar at Alabama State College, Mitchell was given a full athletic scholarship. Ever since, in response to her web site, she has labored inside state and native politics, authoring the primary college district’s Home Minor Intercourse Trafficking, Trauma-Knowledgeable Practices, and Restorative Justice Follow insurance policies and co-writing the Atlanta Public Colleges Fairness. Raynard Jackson is working towards Mitchell. He has labored in IT administration for a number of a long time and holds a bachelor’s diploma in pc science from Boston School. In response to his web site, he’s a “lifelong resident of Atlanta,” and, if elected to the District 5 seat, seeks to push forth coverage to assist youngsters get well from studying loss.
At-Massive Seat 7
At-Massive Seat 7 has three candidates vying for the place. Tamara Jones is the incumbent. With a bachelor’s from Wake Forest College and a grasp’s from the Georgia Institute of Know-how, she is a resident of Inman Park and seeks to enhance the collaboration between colleges. Her web site emphasizes her dedication to communication and sustaining fairness in APS colleges. Alfred Brooks can also be working for Seat 7, and, if elected, could be the primary energetic instructor to serve on the Board. He graduated from Georgia State College with a Bachelor’s in Public Coverage, and he’s the founding father of “Lecturers for Good Hassle,” a nationwide community of academics. His web site focuses on his willpower to implement restorative justice insurance policies and enhance expertise infrastructure inside APS colleges. William Sardin is the third candidate. He’s a graduate of Emory College, the place he obtained his nursing diploma; he has practiced as a registered nurse since. In response to his web site, he seeks to handle college students’ tutorial efficiency and deal with college bullying.
At-Massive Seat 9
At-Massive Seat 9 is residence to 2 candidates trying to fill the seat. Jessica Johnson is the present appointed member for Seat 9. She obtained her grasp’s diploma in public administration from American College, and he or she has lived in Southwest Atlanta for 15 years. In response to her web site, Jessica is the founder and government director of the scholarship nonprofit The Scholarship Academy, which focuses on securing scholarships for first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college students. Nkoyoene Effiong Lewis is working towards Johnson. She is a graduate of Brown College and the New York College College of Legislation. In response to her web site, she is the founder and Principal Legal professional on the Effiong Agency LLC, a boutique training Atlanta legislation agency specializing in securing fairness and training justice for communities of coloration.
Over the previous few years, the APS Board has developed new targets that elected candidates shall be tasked to execute, with a governance handbook centered round student-focused outcomes. The primary is literacy proficiency, measured by Georgia Milestones scores of APS college students in grades 3-8. There was progress in Milestones scores prior to now few years, however additional enhancements are wanted to achieve the Board’s purpose of47 % of scholars scoring proficient or above in studying. The second purpose, numeracy proficiency, wants comparable enhancements to achieve the purpose of 45.4 % Milestones proficiency by 2026.
That is why studying about candidates and voting in native elections — even when all candidates are working nonpartisan — are so vital. Making certain that Board members are adequately certified and ready to craft and perform the coverage vital to enhance APS college students’ lives is essential in solidifying the futures of Atlanta’s — and Georgia’s — subsequent era of leaders.
Voting day is November 7, 2023. To test your registration, see which candidates shall be in your poll, and discover your voting location, go to mvp.sos.ga.gov.
Trying ahead to subsequent yr, guaranteeing that each one eligible Georgians are registered to vote is important in preserving our democracy and electing leaders that may symbolize Georgia’s numerous pursuits most utterly. The instructions on the best way to register to vote–whether or not on-line or in-person–may be discovered at georgia.gov/register-vote.
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