This November will be a huge for the city of Atlanta. Tons of people have lined up to run for mayor, city council, and the Board of education. This election will be unique because of the many things currently happening within the city. The city itself is on the verge of revitalizing many of its forgotten areas. The revitalization is to "prep" the city for new growth. The election will happen right at the start of most of this effort.
The mayor race typically doesn't influence education. However, in Atlanta, the city and board of education were once connected. The city still holds most of the deeds for buildings that the board of education uses or some schools operate in currently. The board isn't allowed to sell some of the unused properties for profit because the city and Mayor simply will not hand them the deeds. This hurts the students of Atlanta the most because that money could be used to continue to find new teachers or get more resources for the kids.
The city council race will also impact education in Atlanta for years to come. In the mist of revitalizing most of the city, a new city council will be tasked to either continue this charge or walk away from it leaving scared pieces behind. However, I do believe members of the council will want to clean up their district and modernize their district to 21st century standards. This means that are going to want new attractions, more taxes collected, and provide greater or more resources. These things can only be done placing more younger people in their district. The new focus will certainly bring more school-age children into the mix. This boost well for Atlanta schools as they have seen a decline in enrollment over the past few years. Currently, out of the 15 seats plus the city council president, there will be 7 new council members plus a new city council president. That means we will have a majority new city council regardless.
Lastly, more than 30 people are running for nine school board seats. This race should turn more interesting as most candidates are aware they should only try to get enough votes to force a runoff. The current school board, who was elected after the cheating scandal, came from the business and real estate world. Very few members had educational backgrounds, and it shows with some of the discussions that have been made in turns of the school system's infrastructure. Out of the nine seats, 3 new members will be elected regardless, 2 members will return, and 4 are hoping to return but are facing stiff competition. This means that it is possible that majority of board members will be new and will come with new ideas. Perhaps, the most interesting aspect will be whether they will want to keep the current superintendent or begin to search for a new one once her contract is over in two years.
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ReplyDeleteGerard,
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a hot topic! As you know I currently work at one of the new schools established under our current Superintendent, Dr. Carstarphen and her turn around initiative for some of the lowest performing schools in Atlanta Public Schools. My school is also located in the prime area where change is happening fast and will continue to happen over the next 2-3 years. We currently receive a lot of monetary support from the major corporations concerned with rebuilding the west-side of Atlanta. My concern is definitely on the board of education elections and the outcome of the new board elections in regards to our Superintendent...Will her initiatives, in particularly directly related to my school withstand all of the changes?...Whether she is still the superintendent or not?
I have stepped out of my comfort zone to run for the APS Board of Education. I believe my perspective from a classroom and system level will bring something new and useful to the board. I am about evaluating what is working, sustaining it, and replicating it @djwoods.
ReplyDeleteSept 25th response
ReplyDeleteGerard,
I am highly concerned about our families within Atlanta who would not be able to afford to live in the city any longer. What would our school system look like in the next 5-7 years? Will our Superintendent have to align her initiatives to the newly elected officials? Will we continue with the current vision and mission of our school district? Will she continue to lead our school district after the many political changes which will greatly impact our city, which also impact our school system?