Gwinnett School Board Candidates To Face Off At Public Forum

Lawrenceville, Ga., On Monday, May 7, candidates running for school board in Gwinnett districts 2 and 4 will meet with the public and discuss their vision for the county.

On May 22, Gwinnett will vote in two new school board members – the first new members in 20 years, as the current board members, Daniel Seckinger (District 2) and Robert McClure (District 4) retire this year. Gwinnett County Public Schools is the largest school district in the state and their board of education often make policy decisions that impact districts across the state. The board is responsible for an annual budget of more than $2 billion.

“It is critical that voters in Districts 2 and 4 come out to hear from these candidates so they can make an informed decision. The board makes decisions that not only affect the quality of our children’s education but also property values and business growth in our community,” said Stephanie Wright of Find Your Voice: Duluth, one of the grassroots organizations sponsoring the event.

“We are all busy parents and community members and we understand it’s hard to get out during the week, but this is a board that oftentimes flies under the radar. They have incredible power and influence in this county and state and we need to give serious thought to the people we put in those positions,” said Marlyn Tillman, of Gwinnett SToPP, a grassroots parent advocacy group sponsoring the event.

Gwinnett County Public Schools has a map of electoral districts available here. If attendees are unsure of their voter district, they are still encouraged to attend. Voters can confirm their electoral district at the event. Per the GCPS website: An individual's residence, not the school attended, is used to determine which School Board member represents a particular resident. Please review the 2017-18 listing of GCPS Schools by Board Member for more information.

There are two democrats and two republicans running in each district for a total of 8 candidates. All candidates have agreed to participate.

District 2:

Steve Knudsen (R)

Donald May (D)

Carol Ranft (R)

Wandy Taylor (D)

District 4:

Everton Blair Jr. (D)

Randall Lee (R)

Chuck Studebaker (R)

Mark Anthony Williams (D)

The forum will take place at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center Auditorium on Monday May 7. At 6:30 pm there will be a candidate meet and greet. The forum will begin promptly at 7:00 pm.

Click here for tickets (free).

Find Your Voice: Duluth is a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to voter education and civil discourse, Gwinnett SToPP is a grassroots parent organization dedicated to parent advocacy and student success.