Atlanta school board picks next chair as mayor vows to work as partner

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens made a point of attending Monday’s board of education swearing-in ceremony, pledging alongside the board’s new chair to close the gap between the city and district.

Dickens’ appearance was as a nod to his campaign promise to improve the sometimes fractured relationship between the city and the 50,000-student Atlanta Public Schools.

“We are colleagues. We are friends. We’re allies in this fight to make sure that this city grows and that our kids are paramount in our minds,” Dickens said. “We are all APS stakeholders.”

Eshé Collins, unanimously selected by the board to serve as its new chair, also stressed the importance of partnering with city, county and state leaders.

“We understand there’s a lot of work, as although we have seen immense gains, we still have a very inequitable city and it pours into our schools,” she said. “I implore you to join this journey with us because the nine of us cannot do this work alone and continue to be in this fight with us and not against us.”

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Credit: Steve Schaefer

In recent years, APS and the city battled over who should control deeds to school properties and the use of school property tax dollars to fund development projects, among other contentious issues.

Dickens tried to bridge that divide when he walked down the block from City Hall to the APS headquarters. He was joined by about a half-dozen City Council members, a contingent he described as an “unprecedented” show of city support.

The mayor recently named APS Superintendent Lisa Herring an honorary co-chair of his transition team. He said the city can assist Atlanta students through after-school programs and summer jobs.

“Call on us early and often,” Dickens said. “We are here to work together with you. That’s why we took that long walk over here today. Such a long walk, right across the street. We marched over here together to say, ‘We see you. We appreciate you, and we look forward to working with you.’”

Collins, an attorney who represents District 6 in south Atlanta, is stepping into her new role after serving the past four years as vice-chair. Like the two chairs before her, including Jason Esteves, who nominated her for his old position, Collins previously worked as a teacher through the organization Teach for America.

She was first elected in 2013 and recently won her third board term. As a board member, she’s led the policy review committee and the accountability commission, which helps to evaluate the superintendent.

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Collins nominated Aretta Baldon to serve as vice-chair, which the board approved by a 7-2 vote. Baldon was first elected in 2019 and narrowly won reelection in a November runoff to retain the central Atlanta District 2 seat.

Baldon, like Herring and Collins, graduated from Spelman College.

Michelle Olympiadis and Erika Mitchell opposed Baldon’s appointment. Olympiadis declined to comment after the meeting. Mitchell did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Baldon has pushed for more accountability, including tighter timeframes for the district to intervene in struggling schools.