Former DeKalb school board member announces bid for state superintendent

Jester is the fourth Republican to announce a bid to succeed John Barge, who is running for governor. The others are: Richard Woods, a former teacher and school administrator; Fritz Johnson, a businessman; and Matt Schultz, a Bartow County School Board member.

State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, D-Austell, is expected to announce her candidacy on Tuesday afternoon.

Jester and five of her colleagues on the DeKalb board were suspended by Gov. Nathan Deal in February after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an accrediting agency, placed the district on probation.

The agency’s action triggered a review by the state Board of Education, which recommended that Deal remove six of the district’s board members.

Jester’s colleagues sought reinstatement, but she did not. Instead, she resigned in March.

Jester said she took financial and management concerns she had about the board to SACS, which eventually found that the board was beset by bickering and nepotism and did a poor job of financial oversight.

“I’m really proud of my record in DeKalb,” she said. “I uncovered the malfeasance on the board.”

Jester said her willingness to resign shows “that seat wasn’t about me.”

“It demonstrates my commitment to telling the truth,” she said.

Jester was joined at her announcement by several elected officials, including state Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody.

“She is absolutely fantastic,” Taylor said. “The word I would use is tenacious in uncovering waste, fraud and abuse.”

Taylor said she does not believe Jester’s removal from the DeKalb board will hurt her candidacy.

“She’s the one that brought a lot of that stuff to the surface,” he said.