Dell Byrd

Dell Byrd

Education

Bachelor's

Georgia State University

Graduate

Central Michigan University

Ph.D

Georgia Southern University

Contact

Personal website

Dell Byrd ran for the District 6 seat on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education in a general election on November 5, 2013. She lost to Eshé Collins in a runoff election on December 3, 2013.

Biography

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Byrd was born in the small Georgia town of Folkston. In high school, she faced the dilemma of being pregnant in a school system which denied attendance to pregnant or married students. Byrd's mother became her greatest advocate and began a crusade to protect her daughter, and others like her, from being denied a high school education on those grounds. As a result, the school board rules in Folkston were eventually changed. Soon afterwards, Byrd moved to Detroit where she received her high school diploma on time. She then earned a B.A. in business administration from Georgia State University in 1982, an M.A. in education from Central Michigan University in 2002 and an Ed.D in curriculum studies from Georgia Southern University in 2007. Byrd became an educator and worked for 11 years in the Fulton County School System, first in an administrative capacity and later as a certified classroom teacher. She is also an active member of St. Paul AME Church’s Sanctuary Choir, the American Education Research Association, the National Business Education Association, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and the Parent, Teacher and Student Association.

Leading into the 2012 presidential election, Byrd also became involved with Atlanta Voters United, an organization that was dedicated to garnering thousands of newly registered voters who eventually cast votes during the election season.

Elections

2013

See also: Atlanta Public Schools elections (2013)

Byrd ran for the District 6 seat against Anne Wofford McKenzie, Eshé Collins and Shawnna Hayes-Tavares on November 5, 2013. She faced Eshé Collins in a runoff election on December 3, 2013.

Results

Runoff election

Atlanta Public Schools, District 6 Runoff Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Eshe Collins	59.1%	1,373
	Nonpartisan	Dell Byrd	40.9%	951
Total Votes				2,324
Source: Fulton County Board of Election, "Election Results," accessed October 30, 2017

General election

Atlanta Public Schools, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Eshe Collins	35.9%	2,830
	Nonpartisan	Dell Byrd	25.4%	2,000
	Nonpartisan	Shawanna Hayes-Tavares	23.1%	1,818
	Nonpartisan	Anne Wofford McKenzie	15.4%	1,217
	Nonpartisan	Write-in	0.2%	17
Total Votes				7,882
Source: Fulton County Board of Election, "Election Results," accessed October 30, 2017

Funding

Byrd reported no contributions or expenditures to the Georgia Government and Campaign Finance Commission.

Endorsements

Byrd was endorsed by The Atlanta Federation of Teachers, retired judge of the Fulton County Superior Court and former president of the Atlanta City Council Marvin S. Arrington, Sr., Pastor Gregory V. Eason, Sr. of St. Paul AME Church, current District 9 Board Member Emmett Johnson, Chairman/CEO of The Aaron Group and President of 3T Unlimited Aaron Turpeau and Lowell & Denise Dickerson.

Campaign themes

Byrd identified the following platform for 2013:

Platform

I solicit your vote from the vantage point of an experienced educator. My platform reflects much more than exercises in theory. Based upon my professional career and recognized performance, along with my experience as an APS parent, I will diligently work to: Open doors for a quality education agenda for all students; Help to identify and select a superintendent who is a proven leader and one who not only believes that all children can learn; but will also move immediately to strategically raise achievement levels. Be attentive and accessible in an effort to assist students, teachers, parents and the Atlanta community with equitable resources; Promote system-wide enhancement, which includes staff development, across-the-board quality curricula, collaboration, and community. In other words, no communities will be omitted or under-served. The quality of education offered will be uniform throughout the city. Commit to open and honest communication with other board members, the administration and stakeholders, most importantly, the parents of students serviced by APS; Operate with a spirit of integrity to restore the faith of the community in the group charged with overseeing the process of educating a deserving generation. Use my position as a trusted board member to keep at the forefront the fact that we exist for the sole purpose of educating young minds. This is a privileged honor which should not be taken lightly or abused. I am prepared and eager to address the following issues which plague the system as it exists: Compromise of Integrity; Student's lack of performance; Student/teacher ratios; Teacher pay and lack of equitable compensation; A low retention rate; and, Misaligned budget

Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Dell + Byrd + Atlanta + Public + Schools"

Dell Byrd News Feed

See also

• Georgia school districts
• Atlanta Public Schools elections (2013)
• Atlanta Public Schools, Georgia

External links

Suggest a link

• Atlanta Public Schools
• Dell Byrd APS School Board, District 6