Fight over PTA leadership breaks out at district level
Georgia’s PTA, under pressure to get its affairs under control or lose its charter, now must contend with a quarrel over the outcome of elections for a local leadership post.
Two people claim they won the same directorship over a three-county PTA district in elections on different dates that were called by competing factions.
Tanya Smith, one of the winners says she was elected to succeed Jesse “Jay” Cunningham, the incumbent. Her election was called by the state board.
Cunningham says he kept his post via an election the district called.
“So yes,” Smith said, “right now, we have two district directors.”
This latest conflict reveals ongoing discord in an organization already under a microscope for internal disputes that have spilled into public view, affecting the PTA “brand.” The National PTA has given its Georgia subordinate a Sept. 29 deadline to address a raft of complaints. The Georgia PTA is at risk of losing its charter, and this dust-up won’t help matters.
You can read the full story of how this came about and how it may affect the state PTA’s chance of getting cut off by the national organization on myAJC.com.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
