Outgoing Atlanta Board of Education Chair Erika Mitchell is stepping down from her position, but she is not retiring; instead, she is transitioning back into her previous role.
The Atlanta Board of Education recently swore in Jessica D. Johnson (At-Large, Seat 9) as the new chair and Dr. Ken Zeff (District 3) as vice chair.
Since being elected to the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education in 2018, Mitchell has appeared as a prominent public servant, actively engaging as a Board Member and emphasizing the importance of parent and community engagement.
Mitchell spearheaded significant initiatives, including introducing District 5’s electronic newsletter, establishing community partnerships, advocating for the district’s Planetarium renovation, and repurposing vacant school buildings into community centers.
Mitchell’s leadership extends to policy development, where she played a pivotal role in crafting the school district’s first policies on Literacy, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Trauma-Informed Practices, and Restorative Justice Practices. She also co-authored the Atlanta Public Schools Equity Policy.
The Atlanta Voice sat down with Mitchell at the HIVE in Buckhead to talk about her legacy, the look to the future, and more.
The Atlanta Voice: Why did you decide to step down? Why now?
Erika Mitchell: It wasn’t a matter of why I wanted to leave, but it was more so that you have new board members coming on. A lot of people want a shot at the board chair. A lot of people want a shot at a position and a title, and a lot of times they don’t know what comes with that. There’s a lot of work. People might say, ‘Oh, you made it look easy,’ but it’s because I did the work. As the board chair, you always have a target on your back because it’s always someone standing in the corner wanting to be the board chair, and that’s just what it is. I took advantage of the first two years, but it doesn’t mean that I will not be the board chair in the future. Right now, the dynamics of the board have changed, where you have eager and new ambition board members who want a shot at leadership.
AV: You’re not retiring, just simply transitioning back into your old position, so talk to me about why you even took this position in the first place.
EM: Back in 2023, we had a lot of uncertainty about our district leadership, and there were four board members who came to me and asked me if I would run for chair. My take on it was, you need to talk to the current chair, and we need to figure out what our plan is moving forward. I don’t like to get political, and I said, ‘If you want me to be the chair, you must get me the votes,’ because I’m not going out there doing it myself.’ The reason is because I have respect for the person who was the chair. We didn’t agree on everything, but I wasn’t going to do another person that way, and I don’t think that’s how you know you go into leadership. You must have conversations up front. I don’t feel like you do things behind people’s backs that does not help with the trust issue.
EM: For me, it was going into this space where all the work in seminars and workshops I’ve been in just put into practice. This was the first success I had as board chair, but not limited to the 11% pay raise that we were able to do for our teachers and paraprofessionals. I think if you invest in your staff, your staff will invest in your students. We were able to get an 11% pay raise to help with teacher retention, to make sure we keep qualified teachers for the district. The graduation rate did go up that year, and every year it’s going to increase.
AV: What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
EM: When I think about the work that I’ve done, it has been student-focused and centered. I look at the gains that we were able to make with literacy, numeracy, and closing the gaps. I look at the pay raises, which is great, and then we gave another 10% pay raise to our frontline workers, nutrition staff, custodial workers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, we must invest in our staff. Also, the Honorary Diploma is one of the many policies that I offer, but this one is more centered around what I see at graduations and some of the tragedies that have struck our district. When I think about the parents who walk across the stage to receive the empty diploma folder for their student who tragically lost their life through gun violence, it affects my spirit.
EM: I recall watching one of the parents just crying and crying, and all they had was an empty diploma folder. How could we honor the student? The honorary diplomas were a way to acknowledge and honor the student. When you honor people like parents, that’s what it means to care and be intentional about how you serve. That’s one of the policies I’m very most proud of, not limited to literacy or restorative justice, but all the things I’ve done. I also look at the partnerships that I’m helping them bring into the district, like the World Cup partnership. In a few minutes, I’ll be headed downtown to meet with U.S. Soccer and FIFA to figure out how we’re going to make sure our students are included in this World Cup experience and not excluded. That’s especially important to me.
AV: As the former chair, where do you want to see the Atlanta Board of Education in the future?
EM: I want to see us get people on the board that really want to do the work. A lot of times, they use the board as a stepping stone to go to various positions. The work is around the future generation. If this future generation is receiving the quality education they need, and we’re running something, you can see a notable change in the city by the type of students reproduced that go into the workforce, that’s a job well done. If we have quality board members who really want to do the work, you will start to see that change. I have remarkably high hopes for the new chair. In the future, I see the board stabilizing a superintendent who could have a six-to-eight-year tenure. We have not had that in a long time, and that’s the success of the district, when you were able to retain and keep a superintendent who’s doing the work.
EM: I would also like to see the board members receive a compensation increase. Last year, we were recommended by the Atlanta Compensation Commission for a $70,000 raise. We were the only entity that didn’t take the full raise, but then we do the most work. If you can invest in your district, you can invest in your board members, because if you invest in your board members, you can keep good board members, because you got to think about a lot of times they’re going to other jobs because they got to make a living.