After serving eight years on the Atlanta Board of Education, Attorney Jason Esteves has resigned following his election to the Georgia state Senate. Esteves, a Democrat, won 57% of the vote to win the District 6 seat, which includes both Cobb and Fulton counties.
Esteves was elected to the board in December 2013, and during his tenure, he served as Board Chair during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the replacement of Meria Carstarphen in 2020 and the subsequent hiring of Dr. Lisa Herring.
Esteve’s resignation will be effective December 31, 2022, and until then, he will continue with his board duties- including his last board meeting on December 5, 2022.
In his resignation letter that he posted on Twitter, Esteves reminisced on his time on the Atlanta School Board.
“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Atlanta as a member and previous chair of the Atlanta Board of Education. Whether it was increasing the resources we sent to schools, investing in our teachers and staff, adopting our equity policy and student success formula, or leaving the school system in an excellent financial state, I am proud of the work and progress this board made during my tenure…”
In a prepared statement, Dr. Lisa Herring, Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent, remarked on her time working with Jason Esteves.
“Jason has been a great asset to the APS Board for close to a decade, and now a new call to service beckons. Congratulations on your State Senate win! Thank you for answering the noble call to public service, and we wish you every success as you transition to a new mission in service to our state. You remain near and dear to our APS family.”
The Board of Education will appoint an individual to serve the remainder of the unexpired term for At-Large Seat 9, with that person having the option to run again in November 2023 for the seat. Individuals interested in applying for At-Large Seat 9 must meet the following minimum qualifications:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must be a resident of APS Education District 5 or 6
- Must be a qualified elector of the City of Atlanta
- May not be an employee of the State Department of Education or a member of the State Board of Education
Further, to be appointed, the successful candidate must meet the above qualifications and:
- May not hold any other elective public office
- May not be an employee of the Atlanta Board of Education or any other local board of education
- May not serve on the governing body of any private K-12 educational institution
There are two mandatory in-person orientation sessions scheduled for Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 5:00 p.m., and on Monday, November 28, 2022, at 5:00 p.m at the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Leadership and Learning (CLL), located at 130 Trinity Avenue, SW.
Potential candidates should submit an application consisting of:
- Resume
- Statement of Interest
- Completed commitment checklist and questionnaire (distributed to attendees at the mandatory in-person orientation session)
For more information, please click here for the District’s Board website.
Serving ATL families as a member of @BOEAPS has been an honor. Last night, I submitted my intent to resign effective Dec. 31, which allows the board time to appoint someone in January.
— Jason Esteves (@jasonesteves) November 10, 2022
The future is bright for @apsupdate, and I look forward to supporting from the legislature! pic.twitter.com/393TVZ16cH