Atlanta, GA — Municipal elections are Nov. 7 and there are two candidates for Atlanta Board of Education District 3.

District 3 serves Kirkwood and East Lake. To see a map of the district, click here. If you are unsure who is on your ballot, you may find a sample ballot by clicking here to visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

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The deadline to register to vote or change your address is Oct. 10. Absentee ballots will be mailed and advanced voting will begin on Oct. 16. To check your voter registration, click here. For more information on how to register to vote, click here.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27. Absentee ballots must be turned in by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. For more information about absentee ballots, click here.

Decaturish gave each candidate running in the Nov. 7 elections a Q&A. A forum with the candidates in each race will be conducted virtually and uploaded to our Decaturish Facebook page and YouTube channel over the next three weeks. All Decaturish.com elections coverage can be found at Decaturishvotes.com

Here are the responses from candidates running for Atlanta Board of Education District 3. The answers have not been edited.

Ken Zeff

What is your occupation?

Education nonprofit executive director

What is the neighborhood you call home?

Morningside

Can you tell us anything else about yourself or your life that you think is important for voters to know?

I am a proud parent of three APS students. Julie, my wife, and I moved here from Los Angeles over 10 years ago because we wanted to build a community for our young family. I am in this race because I know with focused, responsive leadership, we can build a better APS for all our students.

If you are elected, what are your top two or three priorities?

There are pockets of excellence throughout Atlanta Public Schools. My vision is to create a culture of achievement and high expectations in each corner of the district, starting with District 3. My key priorities are: • Get the Next Superintendent Hire Right • Fund Schools First • Ensure that Every Child is a Reader

Why are you a better candidate than your opponents?

I have a deep understanding of what it takes to build a school system that works for our kids and our community. My perspective has been informed by my view of education from multiple vantage points. I served as chief strategy officer and then superintendent of Fulton County Schools, a district that surrounds Atlanta. After that experience, I became the founding executive director of Learn4Life, a nonprofit partnership of the metro Atlanta school systems dedicated to finding and scaling what works to serve kids. I spend every day working with districts across the region to boost student achievement.

What is Atlanta Public Schools’ greatest strength?

Our schools are full of dedicated teachers and leaders that have dedicated their career to serving our students. Their sacrifice and commitment of career educators should be celebrated (I am looking at you, mom 😊). As a Board of Education, we owe it to our staff on the ground to support their growth and reduce their stress by moving resources and decision making directly to our schools.

What is the toughest challenge facing Atlanta Public Schools?

Leadership is the single biggest challenge at Atlanta Public Schools. If we can build a culture of high expectations, support for teachers, and honest engagement with parents at the very top of the system, then good things will happen for our kids. Until then, we will likely repeat the cycle of leadership transitions.

What qualities are you looking for in a new superintendent?

I think when search firms generate a five-page list of qualities in the next superintendent, we lose the opportunity to focus this leader on a few key priorities. There are two qualities I will be looking for in the next district leader: 1) literacy leadership and 2) commitment to decentralize resources. For literacy leadership, I will look to see if they demonstrated transformational literacy gains in a similar setting as APS. To push out resources from the central office, a superior candidate will have shown the ability to lead a diverse system by supporting each school’s success, instead of managing each school community through compliance.

What do you believe is the role of a school board member?

A school board member must be able to build consensus across the board. Without the ability to work with your colleagues and find common ground, a board member is just giving speeches but not generating change for kids. A board member that is close to their entire community combined with deep knowledge of how the districts run is best positioned to focus on achievement goals for all students.

What’s your 10 to 15-year vision for Atlanta Public Schools that serve East Lake and Kirkwood?

As I knock on doors throughout this community, I hear the same message over and over, we want high-quality schools that serve all kids. The community is growing because folks want to be a part of neighborhood culture that has the benefits of green space and a close-knit business community. In the coming years, schools that were closed will need to be reopened and these schools will be among the highest-performing in the district. Kids will leave these schools well-prepared for college, career and life.

What is your opinion of the current APS budget, and are there any changes you would make?

The Central office grew about 18% last year (about $40 M). Those funds should go to the schools. Instead property taxes increased by 9.7%. We need to tow the line on central office budgets and empower schools. We did this at Fulton County Schools. While I was in leadership, we earned a Aaa bond rating because we balanced the budget and improved achievement each year.

What will you do as a board member to strengthen the relationship between the school board and the Atlanta City Council?

The key to a positive working relationship between the City Council and APS is mutual trust and a commitment to common goals. I have worked with the City on a number of initiatives in the past and I am very aligned with the Mayor and his “youth-focused” leadership. As one example, when then Councilman Dickens was building a nonprofit to connect underserved kids with our city’s cultural riches, he asked me to join him as a founding board member (Passport Atlanta). Key members of the Council understand that I am student-focused and committed to finding solutions that work for all members of our community.

As a school board member, what can you do to support early learning and literacy in APS?

Literacy rates are at crisis levels in Atlanta Public Schools. Only 11% of kids of color are reading at grade in 3rd grade. This has disastrous long-term effects on the kids we are letting down. In APS, we pay more than $23,000 per student per year. If we focus our resources on supporting teachers with a comprehensive literacy strategy, we can make every child a reader. I have supported this transformation in other districts and I believe it can also happen in APS.

Do you think APS should redistrict to balance enrollment at schools and, if so, what district changes do you think should be on the table? 

I have three guideposts for managing redistricting when schools are at capacity: 1.Preserve geography as best as we can. That is how we build foster engagement. Neighborhoods change, but houses don’t move. 2. Invest deeply in schools that are underperforming. I have seen it work in Fulton County Schools. We placed an innovative academy in Banneker HS in partnership with Junior Achievement and kids made the program a top destination. We have the dollars if we just invest them in our local schools. 3.Be honest and transparent. The process last fall at Midtown HS was really hard on parents. The alarm was sounded in February that we need to redistrict in a few short months. Then, after hours of meetings, the district decided to pause the process. This erodes trust which makes finding a solution more difficult in the long-term.

What is your position on school closures?

School closures are very hard on a community and should only be pursued as a last resort and in partnership with the community. These school buildings are community assets. The community should have a say in how these assets are used to serve their needs.

The school board recently rejected a new charter school option planned to offer extra support to neurodivergent students in the city. What will you do to support students with special needs?

The district must do more to support its students with special needs. Too often parents are compelled to go above and beyond to get proper services for their child. This has dramatic equity implications for parents who are denied agency to advocate for their kids. An important first step is to address the regular vacancies of special education teachers. We must invest in our teachers by streamlining bureaucracy and providing them more voice in how they manage their caseload and the students in their care. We must be open to all options to serve this population that is rightfully looking to the adults in the system to support their individual education journey.

APS has been working to help employees cope with the demands of their jobs and teacher burnout. What will you do to support teachers?

As I talk to teachers and review survey data, it is clear that teachers are leaving the profession because of burnout. It will take more than small gestures like “jeans days” to show our teachers we value them and their contribution. The district must push out resources and decision-making to our principals, teachers and GO Teams. Teachers entered this profession to change kids’ lives. The leadership in the central office must support them each step of the way.

How will you promote diversity and equity within Atlanta Public Schools?

My approach to promoting equity and diversity is through transparency and honesty. I will be plain spoken about where we are succeeding and where we are challenged as a system. I will strive to create a culture where folks have a common set of values and are free to speak their mind because that is essential to building a workplace where everyone feels included and valued.

How do you plan to engage students and families in your decision-making process?

Hosting community meetings is a good first step, but to truly engage the community, it is best to meet them where they are already gathering. Over the past few months, I have attended neighborhood organization meetings throughout District 3 to understand the will of the community and witness representative government in action. Additionally, I have knocked on doors every single weekend since school began. In total, my team and I will knock on the door of every single likely voter by Election Day. I am excited by the opportunity to engage folks in this process, especially those who have historically been on the sidelines.

If elected, do you promise to conduct yourself in an ethical and transparent manner? What will you do to promote ethics and transparency in government?

I am running for this seat because our students need the very best from the adults who manage the system. I am eager to be held accountable for my actions, as I have throughout my career.

Michelle Olympiadis (Incumbent)

What is your occupation?

Mother – Entrepeneur

What is the neighborhood you call home?

Morningside

Can you tell us anything else about yourself or your life that you think is important for voters to know?

APS Parent for 16 plus years – Morningside PTA President for 2 – Inman Local School Council – Grady Advisory Council

If you are elected, what are your top two or three priorities?

Literacy (for more than 10 years) – Budget – Facilities

Why are you a better candidate than your opponents?

He is my neighbor and I respect his willingness to run.

What is Atlanta Public Schools’ greatest strength?

Our budget – we have one of the largest in the state which is very fortunate, however, we need to look how we better allocate our resources.

What is the toughest challenge facing Atlanta Public Schools?

In my honest opinion, our biggest challenge is getting K-2 teachers professionally trained in Orton Gillengham to address reading.

What qualities are you looking for in a new superintendent?

Direct initiatives towards learning and restructuring of CLL.

What do you believe is the role of a school board member?

To govern the school district as per our charter.

What’s your 10 to 15-year vision for Atlanta Public Schools that serve East Lake and Kirkwood?

It would be great to re-establish the Crim cluster.

What is your opinion of the current APS budget, and are there any changes you would make?

Yes, a strong conversation on how to reallocate recourses to go to school houses.

What will you do as a board member to strengthen the relationship between the school board and the Atlanta City Council?

We have already had conversations and I do believe we are headed in a new direction.

As a school board member, what can you do to support early learning and literacy in APS?

I have been advocating for early literacy for 10+ years – https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/what-is-the-orton-gillingham-approach/

Do you think APS should redistrict to balance enrollment at schools and, if so, what district changes do you think should be on the table? 

Yes, we have many schools that under enrolled, yet the community needs to better understand that APS has many schools which can serve students well.

What is your position on school closures?

In my opinion the school board has made a commitment to keep community schools open. This supports communities! We have many schools that are under enrolled, however, we are committed to keepomg these schools open.

The school board recently rejected a new charter school option planned to offer extra support to neurodivergent students in the city. What will you do to support students with special needs?

As you know I’m a special needs mom and I took a tour of Tapestry before the application process. As you may know, the administration recommended a denial of the application after reviewing information from the state & Dekalb County.

APS has been working to help employees cope with the demands of their jobs and teacher burnout. What will you do to support teachers?

I recommended we have a pay raise and hire more teachers. Currently, we are a top-heavy administration which has the opportunity to re-organize.

How will you promote diversity and equity within Atlanta Public Schools?

Great question! APS is an interesting demographic and while the majority of the city needs more concentrated resources there is opportunity to have schools be better resourced financially.

How do you plan to engage students and families in your decision-making process?

I work to have monthly Zoom meetings and also give my cell and email information to anyone to contact me.

If elected, do you promise to conduct yourself in an ethical and transparent manner? What will you do to promote ethics and transparency in government?

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