Education
Education

DeKalb school board will add two new members

DeKalb County Board of Education member Melvin Johnson gives remarks at Cross Keys High School following DeKalb's Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passage in 2016. Johnson won's seek re-election to the board after four years. KENT D. JOHNSON/kdjohnson@ajc.com

Credit: Kent Johnson

Credit: Kent Johnson

DeKalb County Board of Education member Melvin Johnson gives remarks at Cross Keys High School following DeKalb's Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passage in 2016. Johnson won's seek re-election to the board after four years. KENT D. JOHNSON/kdjohnson@ajc.com
By Marlon A. Walker
Updated March 13, 2018

Two DeKalb Board of Education members are calling it quits.

Melvin Johnson, elected in 2012 to represent the sixth district, did not qualify to run for re-election in the May 22 General Election. Johnson had been board chairman the previous four years, and was replaced by Michael Erwin in January.

James “Jim” McMahan, who currently serves the fourth district, also did not qualify for re-election.

Dijon "Twin" Dacosta and Lance Lawyer Hammonds are vying for Johnson's seat, while parent advocate Allyson Gevertz is running unopposed for McMahan's seat. Board vice chairman Marshall Orson, the only incumbent seeking re-election this cycle, will face off against Decatur resident Candace McKinley.

About the Author

Marlon A. Walker is an education reporter covering DeKalb County.

Follow Marlon A. Walker on facebookFollow Marlon A. Walker on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Students at Carver Early College School of Technology attend the school’s art class on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Atlanta Public Schools plans to convert the campus to a school of the arts that will serve grades 6-12. The plan depends on voters extending a one-cent sales tax for education. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

School closures loom as metro Atlanta grapples with enrollment decline

Demographic changes and the rise of school choice are driving a public school enrollment decline in metro Atlanta.

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

The Sequoyah Middle School community asked DeKalb school officials to better support students who fear ICE.

OPINION

AI is essential to helping our teachers plan for success

For educators, the question is no longer whether AI will influence schools, but how we leverage it to strengthen teaching, learning, leading and operations.

The Latest

Students at Carver Early College School of Technology attend the school’s art class on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Atlanta Public Schools plans to convert the campus to a school of the arts that will serve grades 6-12. The plan depends on voters extending a one-cent sales tax for education. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

School closures loom as metro Atlanta grapples with enrollment decline

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

OPINION

AI is essential to helping our teachers plan for success

Featured

Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

The Sequoyah Middle School community asked DeKalb school officials to better support students who fear ICE.

Two-day effort helps free endangered right whale off Georgia coast

Georgia state officials helped disentangle a North American right whale, one of the most endangered whales on the planet.

Report: Election board member violated conduct code by going to Trump rally

A Georgia Inspector General's report found State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston violated the board's code of conduct by attending a Donald Trump campaign rally.