Runoffs
Runoff elections will be held Dec. 3 in four multiway races in which no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote. Even if Atlanta voters didn’t participate in Tuesday’s election, they’re still eligible to cast ballots in the runoff. Early voting locations and dates have not yet been determined.
District 5 — West: Steven Lee 37%, Mary Palmer 36%
District 6 — South: Eshé Collins 36%, Dell Byrd 25%
District 8 — Citywide: Reuben McDaniel 37%, Cynthia Briscoe Brown 26%
District 9 — Citywide: Jason Esteves 34%, Lori James 31%
Decided races
District 1 — Southeast: Leslie Grant 57%, Brenda Muhammad 43%
District 2 — Central: Byron Amos (unopposed)
District 3 — East: Matt Westmoreland (unopposed)
District 4 — North: Nancy Meister 65%, Taryn Chilivis Bowman 35%
District 7 — Citywide: Courtney English 61%, Nisha Simama 38%
Voters began transforming Atlanta’s school board in last week’s election, the first step in what many parents and taxpayers hope will lead to an improved public education system.
Four of nine board seats won’t be settled until a Dec. 3 runoff. But it’s already clear that at least five representatives will be newcomers, which creates an opportunity for them to move the struggling school system in a different direction.
One runoff involves board chairman Reuben McDaniel, an investment banker, and the second top vote getter, attorney Cynthia Briscoe Brown. In a low-turnout election, Brown could oust McDaniel if she attracts enough voters upset over his handling of racism accusations at North Atlanta High School. The three other runoffs involve political newcomers.
The stakes are high and the consequences far-reaching. A strong public education system can help lure companies to move to Atlanta, which is often seen as a business-friendly location but takes a hit when workers think they’d have to send their children to private schools.
With 49,000 students, Atlanta is the smallest of the major school systems in the core metro counties. But the district’s lackluster academic results and 51 percent graduation rate reflect on the entire region’s image.
The importance of this year’s election wasn’t lost on business and political leaders. Twenty-six candidates ran for office, collecting about $883,000 in campaign contributions. Mayor Kasim Reed and a group of business people formed an independent committee, Continue Atlanta’s Progress, that has raised more than $200,000.
They all have the same goal in mind: moving Atlanta Public Schools past its history of political infighting and the nation’s largest cheating scandal.
“We’re moving from a very dysfunctional period with the cheating scandal to bringing some stability to the system,” said McDaniel, who led a field of five candidates Tuesday. “The city is looking for the type of leadership that can embrace all students in the district.”
Brown has criticized McDaniel for his role in an investigation of racism by educators at North Atlanta High. McDaniel said he heard from dozens of students and parents about racial disparities at the school and had a duty to report them, but Brown said McDaniel spread rumors about racism without first determining whether they were accurate.
A school district investigation concluded in September that educators didn’t discriminate by race, but it came long after Superintendent Erroll Davis removed the school’s principal and several administrators.
“This is a clear choice between the past and the future, between divisiveness and unity, between cheating and integrity, and most of all it’s a choice between politics and our children,” said Brown.
Incoming board members will confront many crucial decisions when they take office in January.
They’ll start by choosing a new superintendent early next year to replace Davis, who plans to retire. Davis, the former chancellor of the University System of Georgia, has guided Atlanta Public Schools for more than two years.
The board also intends to work toward directing more resources toward students and away from administration, managing a giant pension debt and deciding how many charter schools should be approved in a district where 1 in 12 students already attend charters. Charter schools are publicly funded and generally are allowed more flexibility than traditional public schools.
At least two board members — and as many as four, depending on the outcomes of the runoffs — are graduates of the Teach for America program, which has close ties to charter schools. Teach for America is a program that recruits college graduates and professionals to teach in low-income communities, often in charter schools.
Despite the significance of this year’s elections, about 20 percent of registered voters cast ballots in citywide school board races — a rate similar to the election four years ago. Runoffs typically bring out even fewer voters than the general election.
Besides the runoff between McDaniel and Brown, another citywide seat is up for grabs. Attorney Jason Esteves and education business owner Lori James will compete for that seat.
“People want new vision. People want new direction. They want school board members that are going to work together and work hard to improve the school system for all kids,” said Esteves, who taught for Teach for America in Houston.
James said her experience as a business owner and as Atlanta Public Schools’ student support teams coordinator sets her apart.
“Students and teachers need someone who can understand what they’re going through and help them immediately — someone who has real teaching experience and stayed with it,” James said.
In a district representing south Atlanta, Georgia State University program director Eshé Collins will face property manager Dell Byrd.
Collins, a former Atlanta teacher and Teach for America graduate, said she and the other TFA candidates will try to create quality schools if elected, no matter whether they’re charter or traditional schools.
“We all have something in common: We want to do great things for children,” said Collins. “We need to listen to our community and do what our community and our parents want.”
Byrd said her 10 years in the classroom and extensive training makes her more qualified for the school board.
“It took me years to perfect my craft, unlike Teach for America candidates who are pretty much thrown in,” said Byrd. “What’s happening is obviously there’s a movement going on with the privatization of public school funds for charter schools.”
The remaining runoff for a district representing west Atlanta pits counseling center director Steven Lee against academic coach Mary Palmer.
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