Second suspended DeKalb school board member petitions for reinstatement
Just days before the deadline, the second of six suspended members of the DeKalb County school board has sent the governor a letter asking for his job back.
Jesse “Jay” Cunningham and five other DeKalb school board members were sidelined by Gov. Nathan Deal in February after the district was threatened with accreditation loss. Cunningham told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday that he had just mailed a petition for reinstatement to Deal.
Cunningham said he’d always planned on petitioning but wanted to hear from his constituents before doing so. “The feedback I’m getting is they voted, and I’m the person they voted for,” he said.
His former colleague Pam Speaks petitioned the governor earlier this month. The remaining four board members have until Friday to file or face automatic removal. Petitioners will get a hearing that results either in reinstatement or removal.
Some of the suspended board members said previously that they would resign rather than fight their removal, but as of Monday none of the six had filed resignation papers with the school system and all were still collecting pay.
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.
