The Issues

Excellence - Every student in Atlanta should receive an excellent education, regardless of what side of the city they live on. I will promote evidence-backed programs that provide rigorous curriculum to more students such as the “opt out” model in Dallas. We are ignoring too much talent in our city, let’s start from the assumption that all kids can handle a world-class education.

Discipline - Too many students in Atlanta are being suspended without weighing the cost on the child. These (overwhelmingly Black and male) students are unwittingly set on a path towards dropping out and getting into trouble—better known as the “school-to-prison pipeline.” APS should join other districts such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg and effectively put an end to early grade suspensions. For middle and high school we need to seriously review (and curb) the role of police disciplining students. I don’t want my child, or yours, to feel like a prisoner in school.

Inclusion - According to a recent audit, the monitoring and implementation of special education in the APS Charter and Partner schools is severely lacking. We must have a high standard for ALL students, especially those with disabilities. I will work to protect the rights of students with disabilities by holding the board accountable to legal requirements that recognize the dignity of every student.

School Closures - I feel so passionate about this issue that I could not keep my comments to a paragraph. So I created an entire page to this issue. Long-story-short: I’m tired of the school board treating landmarks like Washington High School as an albatross around their neck—it should be the crown jewel of our city. I’ve got a plan and I want your input.

Teacher Retention - Probably the least understood but most important element on this list. Teachers feel overburdened by high-challenge schools such as those with high concentrations of poverty. We should do everything in our power to keep good teachers (raise teacher pay) and rethink the structures that create haves and have-nots in our district. That means reviewing the concentrations of poverty in our district to take advantage of the mountains of research that show the benefits of an integrated school.