Fulton School Board Member Resigns

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Fulton County School Board board member Linda Schultz on Tuesday announced her decision to step down from her post so that she can begin retirement.

“It has been my honor to serve the students, employees, parents and community of Fulton County Schools for the past 10 years,” Schultz said. “Dutch [my husband] and I are excited to become full-time retirees, but it’s bittersweet to be leaving behind the many wonderful people in this community. Serving our children and our schools has been one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences of my life.”

Schultz was first elected to the school board in 2005 and has twice won re-election. She represents District 1, which includes parts of Alpharetta and Roswell.

Board members are required to live within the district they serve in order to serve on the board.

“We’re very happy for Mrs. Schultz and this exciting next chapter in her life, but we’re definitely all sad to see her go. As a valued member of our Fulton family, she has given her heart to our schools and always has put the needs of our students and employees first,” said Board President Linda McCain. “Mrs. Schultz has been instrumental in the progress our district has made over the past 10 years, including the board’s financial oversight of two Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) programs, its transition to the charter system model and the adoption of the district’s current strategic plan. Mrs. Schultz also has been a board member during the school system’s leanest economic years, providing sound fiscal guidance during its budgeting processes.”

Also, during Schultz’s tenure, the Fulton County School Board was recognized for excellence, receiving both the National School Boards Association’s Magna Award as well as NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education Award. She also is a member of NSBA’s Federal Relations Network and has presented at many national and state conferences on the Fulton County School Board’s successful governance practices.

During her 10-year term, Schultz served as school board president between 2010 and 2014 and also has twice served as its vice president. She is a past member of the Fulton County Schools Employees’ Pension Board and the Fulton Education Foundation Board, and also has worked as a web consultant for the Georgia School Council Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to education reform and community involvement in schools.

Before she was elected to the school board, Schultz advocated for children and public education at the local, state and national level, notably serving as legislative chair for the Georgia PTA, where her accomplishments included securing state funding for clinic aides, increasing state funding for education, lowering class sizes, and advocating stronger teen driving laws and policies to reduce underage drinking.

”Linda Schultz is one of those people who possesses every good quality there is. She’s kind, patient, honest and fair,” said Kenneth Zeff, interim superintendent. “But most importantly, she loves children and genuinely cares about their future. This is perhaps the quality you want most in a school board member. She’s been an important guiding force to our district’s work and we wish her and her husband the very best of luck in their retirement.”

The school board’s next steps are to receive applications from community individuals who are interested in serving out the remaining months of Schultz’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2016.

An invitation will be posted to the Board Services website this week for candidates to submit a letter of interest and resume with a deadline of Sept. 18.

The board will interview potential candidates and make a selection. Fulfilling the term, however, does not guarantee the candidate a future seat on the school board as they must still qualify with the Secretary of State’s office and run for election.

More information on applying for the vacant seat will be posted at www.fultonschools.org.

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Photo credit: Fulton County Schools