PATCH VOICES: Confessions of a Former School Board Member Supporting Leslie Grant

by Midge Sweet

Let me confess up front: I am a public school champion. I am also passionate about the importance of innovation. And much as I love our public schools, they are an institution that has historically had difficulty changing.

Our public schools need both commitment and willingness to embrace original thinking in order to succeed. That’s why I support Leslie Grant for the Atlanta School Board, District 1.

In recent months, our schools have been mired in sickening controversy and appalling organizational wrangling that have redirected attention from teaching our students. We need fresh, new vision and energy in District 1. Leslie Grant has these qualities.

As a mother of two, a founding family and board member of the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool, a member of the Transition Governing Board of the Neighborhood Charter School and a co-founder of SEACS (South East Atlanta Communities for Schools) Leslie has proven herself to be a leader who works hard and believes in service. She knows it takes dedication and building bridges among diverse families to strengthen our intown schools.

Leslie Grant’s experience and determination helped build the public Neighborhood Charter School but she didn’t stop there. She worked to create a coalition of schools and parents in southeast Atlanta with SEACS. Just as CINS and NAPPS have been invaluable in strengthening Atlanta’s midtown and northern neighborhoods, SEACS holds the promise of doing the same in our lively southeast Atlanta communities.

It is no secret that Atlanta’s schools are in need of change. A 51 percent graduation rate, an ongoing rotation of over 70 percent of school principals, and deficit spending have compromised the delivery of quality instructional services to our students. Leslie Grant understands the unique needs of Atlanta’s schools because her children have attended our public schools since kindergarten. Our schools will benefit from Leslie Grant’s honesty and straight-talk.

Please join me in supporting this outstanding leader and fresh voice, Leslie Grant, for Atlanta Board of Education District 1.

Ms. Sweet is a former Atlanta Public Schools Board member who represented District 1.