Heather Tell and her family. Photo provided to Decaturish.

Heather Tell, a local Realtor and Oakhurst resident, said she is running for Decatur School Board.

She is seeking the seat currently held by Bernadette Seals, who is not running for reelection. She is the first candidate who has entered the race.

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Tell lives in Oakhurst with her husband Joe and two daughters. Her kids attend 4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue and Renfroe Middle School. She’s been in the neighborhood 15 years and has been a volunteer in and out of the classroom, giving thousands of hours of her time, her campaign announcement says.

“During her terms on the Oakhurst Elementary and the F.AVE School Leadership Teams (SLTs), she worked on elementary school redistricting efforts, reviewed school budgets, crafted school improvement plans, and interviewed many new teachers and staff to support CSD’s growth,” her campaign announcement says. “Heather currently serves as chairperson of F.AVE’s SLT.”

She has a BS in civil engineering and an MS in environmental engineering from Northwestern University.

Her current occupation is as a Realtor for Atlanta Intown Real Estates Services. She’s worked there since 2007.

“My professional skills and experience allow me to provide a technical perspective and analytical approach to support planning and responsible expansion of our schools,” Heather said in her campaign announcement. “In my career, I leverage effective project management, communication, and negotiation skills. I’ve also hired and managed teams of people, and always maintain high expectations for achievement and performance. Moreover, my real estate experience is focused on the city of Decatur and nearby neighborhoods. This gives me great insight into our city’s growth trends which ultimately affect and impact our schools. My professional skills will be a great asset to CSD in setting and achieving our goals.”

She says her goals for CSD are:

·       Enabling every child to reach his or her highest potential, regardless of ability;

·       Providing for all students an equitable and challenging education;

·       Collaborating with city leadership to understand the impact of development and possible annexation on the schools, and to proactively identify innovative partnerships within the community;

·       Emphasizing fiscal responsibility as we support the rapid growth of our student population;

·       Encouraging the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) into the curriculum;

·       Creating well rounded students through foreign language, art, music, and athletic education.”

Her campaign website is: ElectHeatherTell.org.

Qualifying for the Nov. 7 election begins Aug. 21 and ends Aug. 23. The qualifying fee for City Commission is $144 and the fee for the Board of Education is $35. Registration for the Nov. 7 election ends on Oct. 10 and early voting begins Oct. 16 and ends Oct. 31.