On Wednesday, May 15, 2013, the Atlanta Board of Education held its first Superintendent Search Committee community meetings in the North Region at Coretta Scott King YWLA, Harper-Archer Middle School and Sutton Middle School.
The Board of Education’s Superintendent Search Committee will also hold three additional community input sessions on May16, 20 and 21. The Superintendent Search Committee has committed to gathering input from all key stakeholders such as parents, teachers and students. The sessions are designed to give citizens the opportunity to provide feedback on the characteristics they believe are critical in the next Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent.
“We are at the beginning of the process of creating a superintendent profile for the district,” explains Reuben McDaniel, Board Chair. “This is a place where the public really needs to be involved. We are asking the public to come out and participate in an open forum, and out of that, the search committee will put together a profile so we can begin looking for potential candidates.”
The Superintendent Search Committee will hold community meetings at schools in every cluster. The purpose of the meetings is to obtain input regarding the profile for the next superintendent. The upcoming meeting dates and locations are listed below. All meetings will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- May 16: South Region meetings will be held at Long MS and Price MS.
- May 20: West Region meetings will be held at Brown MS, Bunche MS and Young MS.
- May 21: East Region meetings will be held at Inman MS and King MS.
Please visit the Superintendent Search Committee page for more information.
From L-R: Reuben McDaniel, Nancy Meister, Peter Settelmayer, Dr. Beverly L. Hall, Karen Evans, Dr. Kathy Augustine, Emmett Johnson
UPDATE: Watch video of the First Grade Choir performance here. Visit photo gallery here.
APS and other distinguished officials cut the ribbon Thursday on the Morris Brandon Elementary‘s Primary Center that opened at the start of the year and serves the growing Buckhead school’s 200-plus kindergarteners and first-graders. The ceremony capped off an unprecedented year of school openings and renovations that totaled about $265 million — thanks to a great degree to the special-purpose local-option sales tax (or SPLOST).
“Thanks to taxpayers’ support, in the span of two months Atlanta Public Schools has celebrated the opening or renovation of five buildings,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall, who later quoted the author Thomas Kempis when she said, “‘The loftier the building, the deeper the foundation that must be laid’ … This is further evidence of the fact that parents are choosing Brandon as their first school of choice. And we could not have done it without you, the taxpayer, for helping fund this building. I hope you know your feedback was heard loudly and clearly.”
Dr. Hall was joined by Atlanta Board of Education members Nancy M. Meister (District 4, which includes Brandon), Emmett Johnson and Reuben McDaniel; APS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Kathy Augustine; SRT-4 Executive Director Tamara Cotman; Lisa Borders, representing Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; Brandon Principal Karen Evans; and Brandon PTA co-president Laurie Campbell.
With a new year came three new members of the Atlanta Board of Education. Herewith are the profiles for these new members, starting with …
Courtney English (District 7). Mr. English is a former Atlanta Public Schools middle school teacher and community activist. Born and raised in Atlanta, he is a proud graduate of Morehouse College. English was a founding teacher at the new all-male B.E.S.T. Academy at Benjamin Carson where he taught seventh grade social studies. (Read more here.)
Nancy Meister (District 4): As a parent and stakeholder, Ms. Meister is passionate about the future of the Atlanta Public Schools and has been personally involved in the district for many years and recognizes the importance of public education. She and her husband have watched their children grow and thrive in the Atlanta Public Schools system. (Read more here.)
Reuben R. McDaniel, III (District 8): In May 1999, McDaniel was named president/CEO of Jackson Securities, LLC an Atlanta-based investment banking firm. With over 25 years of investment banking experience in finance management, capital markets and municipal finance, McDaniel relies on his proven financial insights, exceptional talents in building relationships, strong analytical background and consummate corporate management skills. (Read more here.)
We conclude our three-part series introducing the new Atlanta Board of Education members with Reuben R. McDaniel, III (District 8). In May 1999, McDaniel was named president/CEO of Jackson Securities, LLC an Atlanta-based investment banking firm. With more than 25 years of investment banking experience in finance management, capital markets and municipal finance, McDaniel relies on his proven financial insights, exceptional talents in building relationships, strong analytical background and consummate corporate management skills.
Selected as one of Black Enterprises’ “75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street,” McDaniel was responsible for transforming the firm from a regional public finance boutique into a national institutional investment bank. Under his leadership, Jackson Securities has sustained double-digit revenue growth and diversified revenue streams by establishing a Corporate Finance Group, Wealth Management Group and an Institutional Sales & Trading Group.
The Atlanta Board of Education got back into session on Monday as new and returning members received the Oath of Office by the Hon. Kimberly Esmond Adams, Fulton Superior Court. The three new members sworn in were (pictured, first row/first picture, from L-R): Reuben McDaniel (At-Large), Nancy Meister (District 4) and Courtney English (At-Large). At the same meeting, LaChandra Butler Burks and Cecily Harsch-Kinnane were named to second two-year terms as chair and vice chair, respectively. The Board Work Session followed, with the topic, “School Administrative Manager’s Program.” The Committee of the Whole meeting followed, with Board Officers scheduled to be elected. The Board’s Community Meeting and Legislative Session followed. Among the special guests scheduled to attend the board meeting was a group of visiting educators from Harvard University’s Urban Superintendents Program and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, who will be here for several days next week to review the district’s school reform initiatives with Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall.
Come back to Talk Up APS for more from the three new ABOE members.
UPDATE: Check out Media Production Manager Scott King’s photo gallery here.
More than 800 APS students, parents, faculty members and staff welcomed prospective students, parents, and members of the community during the inaugural neighborhood education celebration on Saturday at North Atlanta High School.
The two-hour event included a pep rally, open house, live performances, a parade of schools, educational displays and other colorful events highlighting the educational experiences of students attending North Atlanta High School, Sutton Middle, and Brandon, Bolton, Garden Hills, Jackson, E. Rivers and Sarah Smith elementary schools. All of these schools offer the acclaimed International Baccalaureate (IB) academic program.