We have a problem, with an emphasis on the “we,” no matter where you reside in the metro area.
“Our” problem is the Atlanta Public Schools’ probation and governance issues. For months, we have been subjected to negative headlines. “APS” has become an almost-instant turnoff unless you are a stakeholder. But guess what? We all own a stake in its success.
The Atlanta system is the largest in the country to be put on accreditation probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. APS educates about 7 percent of the children in metro Atlanta, leaving most of us to believe our children remain unaffected by this crisis. But it is a dangerous mistake to think this does not impact all of us in a meaningful way.
When decision-makers and people across the nation read in The New York Times about the cheating scandal or hear on NPR of our board governance woes, they don’t separate Atlanta from our area’s many other great schools. They assume all of Atlanta has a problem. Like it or not, this perception is then parlayed into a statewide issue.
The time for our involvement is overdue. We must not continue to turn our backs and expect others to fix the problem. We share the blame if we do nothing.
The costs of inaction are enormous, not only to our children and their future, but also to our reputation and our bottom line. We are being watched from around the world.
Businesses study what is happening here and then make investment decisions. Atlanta offers much, but so do other cities and education is often the linchpin to closing the deal. And let’s not forget businesses already here. Will they stay?
As metro Atlantans, we should be terribly dissatisfied. Stoic board members blaming others for problems should no longer be tolerated. We need to demand that the Atlanta board focus on our children. We should be deeply concerned about who will be our next superintendent and finally confront the elephant in the room — is this board’s reputation so tarnished they will not be able to attract and hire the talent we require and deserve?
We need courageous, dynamic leaders to run for the board. We must identify, encourage and support them. Change must be driven by people who believe an education system is a shining symbol of our unrestricted potential. Do we really want to be apathetic and unengaged? That isn’t my Atlanta.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”
Our children can’t afford for us to remain silent.
Jodie Guest is a member of the Leadership Atlanta 2011 class.
