Friday, June 21, 2013

Support Courtney English for Atlanta School Board

I was recently introduced (via email – we’ve not met yet) to Courtney English, a Morehouse and TFA alum and founding teacher at BEST Academy, the first all-male school in the city of Atlanta. He was elected four years ago to the Atlanta School Board at the age of 24 – the youngest person to be elected citywide in any capacity in the city of Atlanta’s history, and also the first full-time teacher elected to the Atlanta School Board. He is now running for re-election and needs to raise $100,000, so he’s asking for our support (you can donate at here). Here’s a note he sent to me to include here (also see here):

Like Whitney, I've devoted my career to improving education. I am grateful for his support and pledge to do all that I can to work toward our common goal of equality in education.
I was born and raised in Atlanta, and attended Atlanta public schools. As the only full-time teacher ever elected to the Atlanta school board, I understand the challenges facing teachers in the classroom, and more importantly, I know what it's like to be a student in that classroom.
If there has ever been a model for a system in need of reform, it is Atlanta.  51% of our students graduate from high school. We are addressing the biggest cheating scandal in education history. I have served one term on the school board and am seeking re-election because I'm not done. We must continue to clean up decades of administrative mismanagement, improve teacher evaluation systems, and enhance school autonomy.

I've got a tough race ahead of me. The status quo doesn't like change. Your generous contribution before the June 30thdeadline will help our campaign reach an aggressive goal and get us one step closer to educational equity.

I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from Whitney and look forward to earning yours.

Best,
Courtney English
Atlanta Board of Education

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