I am Ella Smith and I am running for DeKalb County School Board, district 4. The election date is May 20, 2014. As an elected school board member my main interest will be accountability in educating every student in DeKalb County regardless of where they may live in the county. There is no more important public investment than the education of our children in DeKalb County to be productive citizens and future taxpayers.

Our district needs a fresh start with new leadership that encourages the school superintendent to come up with innovative ideas outside the box that focuses on the classroom and not district management. Our school board members need to understand the current physical, technological, and educational challenges of our school system and vigorously encourages our school superintendent to be accountable for students’ achievement throughout the school district. DeKalb County and state taxpayer resources deserve to be safeguarded and used with the highest level of integrity. Who better to do this than an educator who has been in the trenches the last 34 years and who is passionate about educational opportunities for our DeKalb students?

 I have attained an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership so I do understand the current physical, technological, and educational challenges confronting our school system and our teachers have in the classroom. Due to the recent ethical crisis and governor’s intervention there is a need to instill accountability, accessibility, trust, transparency, effectiveness and efficiently to DeKalb’s constituents. Assuring accreditation of the DeKalb County School System should be a top priority of all DeKalb County School Board Members.

I realize that when I am elected as a school board member I will be just another DeKalb County citizen with no control of the day to day operations of the school system. These duties are the job of the school superintendent who is evaluated by the DeKalb County School Board Members. As a school board member I will not interfere. The school system must regain full accreditation. As a voting member of the school board important decisions will be made to benefit every student in the DeKalb County School System.

Ella “Coach” Smith, ED.S.