Atlanta Board of Education District Races Preview: District 7

Seven of the nine seats are contested.

WABE’s Rose Scott previews each district race.

Broadcast version of this story.

APS district 7  is for one of the three at-large seats on the APS board.

The two candidates are incumbent Courtney English and challenger Nisha Simama.

English attended APS and graduated from Morehouse College.

He’s also taught in the system.

English says he’s seeking reelection to help find solutions for a major problem.

“We have enormous challenges in front of us; a 51% percent graduation rate, a 38% percent graduation rate for African American males, which is something that is specifically near and dear to my heart and about a 20% graduation rate for kids of special needs  and that’s unacceptable.”

Nisha Simama first ran for a seat on the board twenty years ago, but lost.

However in 2011, she served as an interim board member when Khatim Sherrer El resigned.

Simama is a 30-year educator and currently teaches at an area private school.

She says tacking the low graduation rate means hiring a school chief that has a vision to bring in new programs.

“You’ve got to look at the philosophy of that superintendent and the creative programs that exist around the country that are doing these kinds of things.  So, let’s adopt the very best practices and let’s get a superintendent who wants to engage and wants to think outside the box.”

Simama also believes external partnerships are important, but say she’s troubled by current interfering forces.

“I’m afraid of that particularly now. I feel very, very strongly that that there has been a strong attempt in order to influence this election from special interests. And I think that we’ve got to be very careful in terms of how we develop those partnerships. There can be very good ones.”

Courtney English says during his first term on the board, he went against those special interest groups.

“Particularly the metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has had undue influence over the school system with the blue ribbon commission. I was proud to say I voted against that commission. In my opinion, it was designed to cover up what had happened inside of our schools with regards to the cheating scandal.”

English says governance and ethics training have helped the current board get through past problems.

Nisha Simama says an infusion of new members means a fresh start in setting priorities for the new superintendent.

*WABE’s broadcast license is held by the Atlanta Board of Education.