Nine candidates are running for the Atlanta Board of Education seat representing District 2 in central Atlanta.
The election will take place Sept. 17. If needed, a runoff election is scheduled for Oct. 15.
The winner will serve a partial term that expires Dec. 31, 2021. Former school board member Byron Amos created the vacancy when he left the board earlier this year to run for Atlanta City Council, an election he lost.
The school board seat will have been vacant for at least seven months.
Candidates running for the seat are: Chadd Jonesmith, Paula Kupersmith, Keisha Carey, Aretta Baldon, Will Chandler, Nathaniel Dyer, Davida Huntley, Ed Johnson and Christopher Brown.
The field includes a few familiar faces.
Carey lost in a December 2017 runoff election to Amos.
The nine candidates qualified to place their names on the ballot during the qualifying period last week. District 2 includes Douglass and Booker T. Washington high schools.
Atlanta Public Schools will pay up to $550,000 to hold the special election, according to an April estimate.
Whoever wins the spot could prove to be a crucial swing vote on the nine-member board. There's been at least one 4-4 tie vote since Amos' departure. When a vote results in a tie, the action under consideration is defeated.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
About the Author
