By Beth Krebs, Education Chair
This fall’s local elections are incredibly important for our schools because all nine Atlanta Board of Education (ABOE) seats are up for re-election, many of which are shaping out to be very competitive races. The ABOE establishes and approves the policies that govern the Atlanta Public School system. It is important that we have qualified and committed representatives on the Board as they are the final decision makers on many important things including the long term strategy for our schools, how funds will be allocated, and school zone attendance.
ABOE consists of nine members, representing six geographical districts and three “at-large” districts. One person is elected per district to represent the schools in a given district for a four-year term. Lake Claire residents will vote in four School Board races — one for a district seat and three for at-large seats. There are 2,237 registered voters in Lake Claire. In past elections, school board races have sometimes been won by fewer than 1,000 votes. In other words, our votes really do matter!
The field is more crowded than usual due to heightened awareness following the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal and school redistricting process. LCN is not officially endorsing any candidates, but LC Education Committee members have gotten to know many of the candidates. In addition, there are some upcoming opportunities to meet the candidates and to learn more about the election landscape – details are at the end of this article.
You must be registered to vote by Oct. 7, early voting begins on Oct. 14, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. More information on voter registration, our poll location and early voting can be found at the end of this article.
Below are the School Board seats and candidates that will appear on the ballot:
District 3 (includes Lake Claire, Morningside, Druid Hills Virginia Highlands, Kirkwood, Edgewood and East Atlanta):
- Matt Westmoreland (uncontested)
At Large 7 (elected citywide)
- Courtney D. English (Incumbent)
- Nisha Simama
At Large 8 (elected citywide):
- Cynthia Briscoe Brown
- Reuben R. McDaniel III (Incumbent)
- Mark Riley
- Tom Tidwell
- Dave Walker
At Large 9 (elected city-wide):
- Eddie Lee Brewster
- Jason Esteves
- Lori James
- Anne Wofford McKenzie
Note that in addition to voting for our School Board Representatives, we will also be selecting our City Council representatives in this election. These races are incredibly important, so please vote!
Upcoming Election Information Sessions
Inman Middle ABOE Candidate Forum
When: Wednesday October 9th 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: Inman Middle School Auditorium
SEACS/CINS ABOE Candidate Forum
When: October 17th 7:00 p.m.
Maynard Jackson High School
“Lake Candler” Education Coffee Chat
Please join us for an informal play date and coffee chat at the park with members of the Lake Claire and Candler Park Education Committees. This is a chance to ask questions and learn more about the upcoming election (and to discuss any other APS topics of interest). Children welcome! Please check the Lake Claire website for rain date information.
When: Sunday October 20th 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: Candler Park
Voter Registration
To confirm you are registered to vote, or to register to vote (by Oct 7), please visit the following website:
http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/vrinfo.htm
Lake Claire Voting Location
All of Lake Claire votes at Epworth Methodist Church located at 1561 McLendon Avenue. If you are not able to vote on November 5th, you can vote in advance (see below).
Advanced Voting
The closest advanced voting location is the Wesley Coan Recreation Center at 1530 Woodbine Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30317. Note early voting will be held at this location from October 26 – November 1 (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.).
Additional voting locations (including those that open October 14th) can be found at the following website:
http://www.atlantaga.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=10005