The names and faces on the school boards of some of metro Atlanta’s largest school districts will look slightly different this year.
Voters elected new school board members in Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
Here are the new members:
Cherokee
Republican Erin Ragsdale will serve as the District 5 representative on the school board, replacing Clark Menard, who retired from the board. Ragsdale has vowed she will only serve on the school board while her children attend Cherokee County Schools.
Susan Padgett-Harrison, a Republican, was elected to the District 6 representative on the board. She was a former teacher, principal and administrator in the Cherokee system.
Cobb
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Democrat Becky Sayler will represent Post 2 in Cobb County, replacing Jaha Howard. Sayler is a preschool teacher and has experience serving on parent teacher associations.
Democrat Nichelle Davis will replace Charisse Davis as the district’s Post 6 representative. She is a former teacher who currently manages operations for Achieve Atlanta, a nonprofit that helps students attain postsecondary credits.
Credit: Provided photo
Credit: Provided photo
DeKalb
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Whitney McGinniss will fill the District 2 seat vacated by longtime board member Marshall Orson. McGinniss is mom to a seventh grader attending DeKalb schools, and also works as a grants manager for Partnership Against Domestic Violence.
Fayette
Democrat Regina Daigre replaces Leonard Presberg as the District 4 representative on the school board. Daigre is a motivational speaker and has been a computer science professor.
Forsyth
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Republican Mike Valdes will serve as the District 5 representative on the Forsyth County school board.
Fulton
Kristin McCabe, Michelle Morancie and Lillie Pozatek won seats that had been held by long-serving board members who decided not to run for reelection. Hapeville resident Katie Gregory was appointed to serve out the remainder of Gail Dean’s term after Dean retired from the board in October.
Gwinnett
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Adrienne Simmons will represent District 4 on the Gwinnett County school board. She succeeds Everton Blair and was sworn in as a member at the December board meeting. Simmons has worked for 20 years in classrooms, metro Atlanta school districts and the Georgia Department of Education. She holds a doctorate of education and has two children in Gwinnett schools.
Simmons is the first Gwinnett school board member to be elected in a nonpartisan vote. Republicans in the state legislature changed the county’s Board of Education elections during the 2022 session. State Sen. Clint Dixon led the effort and said the school district was “falling off a cliff” under Democrats’ leadership.
