Yesterday marked the start of early voting in Fulton County for the 2017 general municipal elections, culminating with Election Day on Tuesday, November 7. It’s always important to exercise the right to vote, but especially so in elections like this one when so many positions that impact local government (including public schools) are on the ballot. My blog post this week helps provide an overview of these key positions (and their role related to public education) and ways to find out more information about the candidates for them.
Atlanta Board of Education (ABOE): The ABOE is the elected board that governs the Atlanta Public Schools (APS). The last ABOE elections were four years ago. Several incumbents are running for re-election, with most facing challengers, and there are a few open seats with multiple candidates vying for a spot on the board. You can find a listing of all of the districts and candidates on the ballot here. You’ll vote for a candidate in the district in which you live (for most in the ANCS community that will be ABOE District 1) as well as three citywide at-large districts.
Although ANCS is a charter school with its own governing board responsible for oversight of the charter, policies, and budget for our school, the ABOE ultimately approves (or denies) our petition to even have a charter. And, of course, if you are invested in decisions about public education in our city, the ABOE is at the center of most of them. For all those reasons, I encourage you to get informed about the candidates running for election. You can visit their campaign websites, and you can also come hear directly from many of the candidates on Wednesday, November 1 at 6:30 PM at an ABOE candidate forum ANCS is co-sponsoring with Drew Charter School and KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools. See the flyer below for more details.
Mayor of Atlanta: It’s a crowded field to replace Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who cannot run again for the position due to term limits. A recap of the final weeks of the race can be found in this AJC article. In terms of impact on public education, unlike some cities where the mayor has control over the public school system, in Atlanta, the mayor has no formal responsibilities with APS. However, the mayor’s office can have influence over what happens in our public schools, like the type of relationship he or she has with the APS superintendent and ABOE members. Over the past few years, Kasim Reed has battled with APS over tax funding from the city to APS from the BeltLine and over deeds to former APS schools.
Atlanta City Council: Like the mayor, the city council does not have a regular, formal role in public education in Atlanta. And like the mayor, the city council can wield influence over APS. And obviously, the city council is involved in passing legislation that affects city residents each and every day.
You’ll vote for a candidate in the district in which you live as well as three at-large positions, and you can find a listing of all of the candidates who will appear on the ballot here. The majority of the ANCS community resides in City Council District 1, and there is a candidate forum for that district coming up this Thursday.
No matter where you live in Atlanta, the vote you cast in this election will have an impact on our city at a critical juncture, not just in terms of public education, but also housing, transportation, and many other key issues. If you want to know how all the different parts of Atlanta’s city government fit together to address these issues, make plans to come to the “Vote Local” event being held at ANCS’s elementary campus this Sunday and facilitated by the Center for Civic Innovation. See the flyer below for more details. And then get out there and vote!
