Katie Howard is a 1996 graduate of Grady High School and mother of two students in the Maynard Jackson Cluster. She has formerly served as PTA President at Parkside Elementary School and King Middle School.

Howard said equity and accountability will be two of her goals if she is elected. Equity meaning every student has the resources they need to be successful. Accountability of the schools and Superintendent to the district’s families.

“I have the best mix of experience. My grassroots experience in schools, building community and my record of advocacy for students and families. I understand how to get things done in a policy-making body. I know how to connect and listen to people and take their feedback and input in and turn that into change. I know I have the most well-rounded meaningful experience when it comes to education and service in the City of Atlanta.”

Wykeisha Howe did not respond to the Atlanta Voice’s interview request.

The post Election Central: Get to Know District One appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Baldon, who was first elected to the board in a 2019 special election, said she decided to run because she realized that a student’s zip code determined the quality of their education. She hopes to continue her work on the board by focusing on student outcomes and supports and making sure the people of district 2 have their voices heard.

“I’m the best person for the job, I’ve injected a positive analytical engaging attitude into all that we do at APS. The bottom line is I have been doing the work and I’m committed to continue to do the work to take us to the next level.”

Keisha Carey grew up in Atlanta, she graduated from Charles Lincoln Harper High and Clark Atlanta University. Previously Carey worked as a substitute teacher before transitioning to corporate America.

Carey’s goals include addressing learning loss due to the pandemic and increased transparency between the schools and families. She also wants to increase high school graduation rates and implement entrepreneurial programs for APS students who are not college-bound.

“I’m an Atlanta native, I’m centered here, I’m a product of the school system, I’ve been here for years,” said Carey. “People should vote for me because people need to feel that they can trust the school system with day-to-day decisions, the school board needs to make practical decisions every day. A lot of people feel like they need trust— and therefore new leadership is needed.”

Bethsheba “Sheba” Rem moved to Atlanta 16 years ago and is a creative writing professor at Clark Atlanta University. She is a graduate of Detroit Public Schools.

Rem says she is going to be an advocate for the families and students in her neighborhood and wants to make sure they have access to all of the opportunities possible. She was partly inspired to run from hearing all of the good and bad stories of APS from kids in her neighborhood.

“I have over 20 years of experience in education,” said Rem. “My priorities are the health and safety of the students and the teachers. I won’t lead by absenteeism, I show up where I’m supposed to show up. More importantly, I have empathy, that’s something I think that we’re forgetting. These are young human beings who need leadership and empathy.”

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Olympiadis began getting involved with APS to advocate for her oldest son who has special needs but said that led her to advocate for students and families overall. She said she looks forward to working towards the board’s ambitious goals around equity and achievement.

“I’m looking forward to making sure that we’re developing good students, good citizens, good future people for our community— that’s the focus of our next five-year strategic plan.”

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Arciaga says she would advocate for APS to continue to expand into the world of virtual learning to give families more options and focus on utilizing the wide-ranging talents of APS teachers.

“I know what it’s like to work for this district, on the ground level. I know what it’s like to work with our kids. I know what it’s like to work with our parents. I am really passionate about advocating for our families and our kids. I have a unique amount of experience working with school board members, working on school board policy specifically.”

Jennifer McDonald is a parent in the North Atlanta Cluster and former co-president of the Board of North Atlanta Parents for Public Schools.

McDonald, who has the endorsement of the current district 4 representative, says she wants to address transportation issues and gaps in learning due to the pandemic on the board of education.

“I know I can do great work. I’m living an APS life every day, I’m really really invested— but I’ve done the work. I went from room mom to now running for the board.”

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Johnson says he is running to implement new policies like giving free wifi access to all APS students and employees, expanding vocational education opportunities and after-school enrichment programs.

“I will fight to increase educational outcomes for all of our students. I’m a native Atlantan and a graduate of Atlanta Public Schools. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and there are no other board members with a technology background. Given our situation now with COVID, I think it’s critical that we have access to free wifi for students.”

Erika Y. Mitchell (I) is an Atlanta native and graduate of Fulton County Schools. She has served on the board of education since 2017. She was also elected to be secretary for the National Black Council of School Board Members and vice-chair on the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education’s Steering Committee.

Mitchell wants to advocate for more academic and emotional support services for students. She also wants to make sure that the strategic plan the board adopted last year is fully implemented.

“I want people to vote for me because of my track record, for the vision I have for our students and families. I want people to vote for me because I want to continue to serve and meet them where they are.”

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Collins was first elected to the board in 2013 and is seeking to continue the work she has been doing while on the board. She is focused on improving equity in the district by improving academics and closing the achievement gap. She added that by strengthening community and city partnerships, APS can create a holistic approach to supporting children.

“I have proven results of the work that I’ve been able to do as a board member. I represent a district where we’ve increased the graduation rate from 56 to 81 percent. We’ve stabilized our schools on the south side by providing a solid core curriculum. I have worked tirelessly to ensure that the community is engaged and informed on everything that we are doing in the district.”

Patreece Hutcherson is an Atlanta native, she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1995 and currently works as a school counselor in Douglas County.

Hutcherson says her main goals on the board will be to protect the children, the educators and the communities that makeup Atlanta Public schools. She wants to make sure that the buildings operated by APS for the children of Atlanta are owned by the people of Atlanta.

“I want people to vote for me to be protected and to bring back integrity to our school system and to our city. We the people need to run our government and our systems.”

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Tamara Jones is a mother of two APS graduates and one current APS student. She has served on school and district-wide teams and committees throughout her 15 years as an APS parent.

Jones’s goals include ensuring that lines of communication are open between the board and APS families to make sure their voices are heard. She also wants to increase literacy and language proficiency by aiming to get 100 percent of the class of 2032 reading proficiently by 5th grade.

“I have the experience of K-12 in APS and I’m a mom. I’ve been under the hood of APS long enough to see the structural defects but also the opportunities we have to be a stellar school district if we’re able to connect more dots and build more bridges.”

Royce Mann is a 2020 graduate of Midtown High School and a current political science major at Emory University. As a student, he was a member of Midtown’s GO team and worked on the effort to rename the school.

Mann wants to make changes to the curriculums taught in APS to include works by more women and people of color. He wants to implement more life skills courses like financial literacy. Mann also would increase access to work-based and vocational training for APS students.

“While we can’t elect a student to the board of education, the voters of Atlanta have the opportunity to elect a recent graduate. Someone who has been an outspoken and passionate advocate in the community. It’s not about electing me, it’s about electing someone who is able to show students that they can have a seat at the table when it comes to decisions that affect them.”

Stephen Spring is an education and equity consultant for public school districts across the country. He worked as a public school teacher for over 20 years and was previously elected to the board of education in Portland, Oregon.

Spring wants to make changes in APS that will increase equity overall throughout the district. He wants to decrease the number of standardized tests given to students, make sure tax money is being spent in the classrooms and give more power to families and teachers in APS.

“I’m experienced, I’m an educator and I know school systems inside and out. I’ve taught thousands of children and I continue to do work in the public education sphere. I know education policy inside and out. On top of all of that, I have a thick skin that I will use to deflect any types of attacks that might happen for me to do the right thing for students and parents.”

Kanesha “KaCey” Venning has worked in and around Atlanta Public Schools for over a decade. She was a tutor to first and second graders in APS through AmeriCorp and provided wraparound services when she worked at Families First. Currently, she runs a nonprofit focusing on empowering black male youth working mainly with students at Washington and Douglass High Schools.

Venning says she wants to make sure the district is just as committed to technical and trade education as it is to college track education. One of her main goals is to Increase collaboration between the school board and the city council to make sure students are taken care of between 3 p.m. and 7 a.m.

“People should vote for me because I definitely have experience working with students in terms of what happens when they are or are not educated well in classrooms. I come with a robust experience, being one of the few candidates in the race— across all the districts, that are still presently working with students that attend Atlanta Public Schools.”

Patricia “Granny P” Crayton did not respond to the Atlanta Voice’s interview request.

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Jason B. Allen is a graduate of Douglass High School and has worked in APS for over 12 years as an after-school program director, parent liaison, English teacher and administrator.

Allen says his priority for the board would be looking at policies that engage families and communities, specifically through early childhood education, wraparound services and workforce development. He wants to ensure students are aware of the full range of opportunities available by nature of being in Atlanta.

“I have seen how policies impact what happens in the classroom not just as a teacher but also someone who has been on a district, school and administrative level. I think that the expertise that I bring to the table will help the team of board members budget more effectively for student success. And also it would help us drive accountability in a way where we’re not putting in punitive policies against our students and our teachers.”

Jason Esteves (I) is the parent of one current and one future APS student. He currently serves as chairperson of the board and is a former public school teacher.

Esteves wants to be reelected so he can continue his current work on the board around improving teacher and school leader quality. He also wants to continue to engage families more in the district’s decision-making and expand learning opportunities for students.

“I have the experience both inside Atlanta Public Schools, but also as an attorney, as a parent, as a former teacher, to make sure that I help keep Atlanta Public Schools on the right track and continue the great progress that it’s made. I have the relationships both in the community and areas of government that APS needs to ensure that long term we are a successful school system.”

D’Jaris “DJ” James is a parent and community advocate. She currently works in human resources and founded the M.A.R.I.E. Project dedicated to helping at-risk youth.

James wants to increase student outcomes post-graduation and ensure effective communication between the board and community stakeholders. Her goal is to increase equity by providing students with a variety of opportunities that they can pursue different career paths and have more success once they leave Atlanta Public Schools.

“I bring a unique experience to the board. I am a person that will be able to develop strategies to partner with our superintendent very closely on our operations to make sure that we are attracting and retaining the best talent and providing our teachers with the best support.”

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Cynthia Briscoe Brown (I) is the parent of two APS graduates and was on the board of multiple PTA’s in the district and former co-president of North Atlanta Parents for Public Schools. She was first elected to the board in 2013.

As the primary author of the district’s 2019 equity policy Brown says she wants to see that it lives and breathes in every decision made by the board moving forward. She also wants to make sure the district comes away from the pandemic understanding that there are many different ways to learn and ways to accommodate students’ learning styles.

“We are living in the middle of a time of great uncertainty and great change. It’s important that we continue on the course we’re on and move more rapidly. But the only way we can do that is if we have people like me with the deep and broad knowledge and experience in Atlanta Public Schools to lead us forward.”

Keedar Whittle is an Atlanta native and father to an APS student in the Midtown Cluster. He is also the son of a retired APS administrator and currently runs a company providing permanent and temporary educators to schools and childcare facilities.

Whittle’s main goals are to make sure the district has measurable equitable policies in place to meet the needs of all students and to standardize the curriculum so that APS students can rise to the occasion. He also wants to increase wraparound services to meet students’ needs.

“I’m from Atlanta and I love our students and I fully believe that our students have the capability to succeed. I think we just need to reimagine and rethink what education looks like. At the end of the day, all I care about is the kids. We have to make sure that they are prepared to be contributing citizens upon graduation.”

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Each week The Atlanta Voice highlights the Black men and women who are serving their communities on the board of education.

Jasmine Bowles represents district one on the Clayton County Board of Education. She is in the third year of her first term on the board and currently serves as VP of Strategy and Programs at an education-centered non-profit.

Bowles is a product of Clayton County Public Schools. She attended Brown Elementary and Mundy’s Mill Middle Schools before graduating from Lovejoy High School, all schools in her district. She went on to get her undergraduate degree from Emory University and her graduate degree from the University of Miami.

In her professional career, Bowles works to connect members of school boards across the country with one another. She also founded PROOF Inc. (Plans, Resources, & Opportunities for Organized Freedom) a community organization and think tank. She previously worked as a classroom teacher and policy fellow for the Louisiana Department of Education.

Bowles said she decided to run for school board in 2015 just before she began a run for a seat in the Georgia State House.

“Part of my interest in the state legislature was undergirded by the fact that that is where the school “funding formula” lives,” she said.

“I wanted to be a vessel for voices of teachers and families in my community, and a conduit of power and access to the system we all critique. Plus, it was long past time for my district to be more reflective of its community members,” Bowles added.

As a native of Clayton County, a former teacher and a millennial, Bowles believes she plays an important role to represent the needs of Clayton’s families on the board. She underscored her belief in the importance of black representation on the board.

Bowles said her favorite part of being on the board is working towards creating policies that will make sure every student receives an equitable education.

“ I love digging into money, contracts, and researching policy moves and best practices from around the world. That isn’t the sexy stuff, but it matters, and I love it,” said Bowles.

While she does not have kids, Bowles said she claims all 55,000 Clayton students as her own. As a member of the school board, Bowles says her first obligation is to the most vulnerable citizens of Clayton County, the young people who cannot yet vote.

“My time on the school board has deepened my belief that public schools are national treasures, and equitable access to them must be protected at all costs; while simultaneously deepening my belief that a system that was never built to serve everyone must be reimagined and rebuilt until it does,” Bowles said.

In her long-term vision for the district, Bowles wants Clayton County Public Schools to be a place where every scholar, teacher, school, and family has access to the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to self-actualize and fulfill their wildest dreams.

“I spent a semester at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and it changed my life. Do it!”

Bowles told The Atlanta Voice that after her experience in South Africa she encourages every student to study abroad if they have the opportunity.

This article is one of a series of articles produced by The Atlanta Voice through support provided by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to Word In Black, a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media outlets across the country.

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