Transparency
Stepping Stones and Stumbling Blocks
The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. 
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I grew up in Dothan, Alabama. I spent a lot of time with my paternal grandparents. They played a big part in raising me. Two values I hold dear go back to them: integrity and transparency.
My grandfather believed we should mean what we say and say what we mean. Whether in his work as a school custodian or in his service as a country preacher, my granddaddy didn't mince words. My grandmother took care of children everywhere from private homes and to a local child care center. She was a school custodian, too. She was transparent and “kept it 100” long before today's generation made it a popular catchphrase. My campaign for school board is about integrity and transparency. It isn't about being perfect. I've spent 25 years looking at schools and districts as systems. I've worked hard to understand the governance of schools and districts from a policy perspective. I'm not always right and I'm not perfect. I've made some mistakes along the way. It’s important to learn from our mistakes and missteps. It’s important to show children that we–as adults live and learn–and we adults are doing what we ask of them. In the end, it's about listening and making better decisions each time. Tony Burks |
Keeping it 100
Tony's been asked a lot of questions since deciding to run.
We're posting many of these questions and his responses on this page.
We include links to resources from others along with some of his writings about educational matters.
The Committee to Elect Dr. Tony Burks
Atlanta Board of Education District 2
We're posting many of these questions and his responses on this page.
We include links to resources from others along with some of his writings about educational matters.
The Committee to Elect Dr. Tony Burks
Atlanta Board of Education District 2
Why ARE YOU running for THE Atlanta Board OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 2?
I’m running because I care about the students of the Atlanta Public Schools. I believe I have something to offer students and community in the City of Atlanta, specifically District 2. I have worked in education across the country since 1993. I worked in APS from 2012 to 2015. I’ve led other educators as a college instructor, a mentor, and an area superintendent twice.
I started teaching when I was 22. I became an elementary school principal at the age of 27. I’ve been a classroom teacher, an elementary school principal, and a high school principal twice. I’ve served schools and districts in roles from Magnet Director to School Transformation Coach, from Principal Mentor to Executive Director of Small School Innovation, and from School Improvement Officer to Area Superintendent. I am the founding principal of The Early College at Guilford, North Carolina’s first early college high school and one of the first such schools of its type in the world.
Over the last 25 years, I’ve learned from some of the best educators, board members, and educational leaders around. I’ve helped thousands of children and their families grow and learn. I’ve also learned lots from my students. It is a combination of my personal and educational experiences as well as the policy and governance skills I have developed that would allow me to work with board members, the superintendent, and the community to make things better for our students. Together we will do great things for our children and the Atlanta Public Schools.
I started teaching when I was 22. I became an elementary school principal at the age of 27. I’ve been a classroom teacher, an elementary school principal, and a high school principal twice. I’ve served schools and districts in roles from Magnet Director to School Transformation Coach, from Principal Mentor to Executive Director of Small School Innovation, and from School Improvement Officer to Area Superintendent. I am the founding principal of The Early College at Guilford, North Carolina’s first early college high school and one of the first such schools of its type in the world.
Over the last 25 years, I’ve learned from some of the best educators, board members, and educational leaders around. I’ve helped thousands of children and their families grow and learn. I’ve also learned lots from my students. It is a combination of my personal and educational experiences as well as the policy and governance skills I have developed that would allow me to work with board members, the superintendent, and the community to make things better for our students. Together we will do great things for our children and the Atlanta Public Schools.
WHAT’S YOUR DISSERTATION ABOUT?
When worked on my dissertation, I took a closer look at the student court of a public high school. I studied student leadership development and pro-social peer pressure.
| BURKS dissertation |
what's the status of your contract with APS?
Life has a way of changing your plans. For the first time since I was 22 years old, I didn’t get a contract. I always knew I would be working with a Board of Education. I figured I’d be working somewhere as a superintendent.
When I wasn’t offered a contract to return to APS, I asked myself, “How can I continue to serve the children of Atlanta and benefit my community using the skills, training, and educational experience I’ve gained over more than 20 years?”
After working with APS, I wrote a couple of books. I began giving away training to some teachers and schools. I donated supplies to a few students. I then focused on the educational consulting business I’d started in 2006. I knew I’d go back to work in schools at some point; I didn’t know when. And then the graduation rate for Frederick Douglass High School increased from 42.6% to 59%! I’d been principal of the school then; I knew I had to get back in the game. According to the superintendent, our results were among the greatest percentage point increase of high schools that year.
Not long after, I enrolled in the Georgia School Board Association’s “School Board U” and it clicked. Then in 2016 a former APS school board member–and a current one–talked with me about the idea of running. They were encouraging, I wasn’t ready, but the idea of running kept popping up.
In the past year, neighborhood community groups encouraged me to run. I met with a former APS superintendent to listen and learn. I spoke with my pastor who reminded me that as a ministry student I was taught to lead my ministry: Education
So when I got a call from a community member this summer asking, “Will you run for school board?” I knew it was time and my answer was "YES!"
When I wasn’t offered a contract to return to APS, I asked myself, “How can I continue to serve the children of Atlanta and benefit my community using the skills, training, and educational experience I’ve gained over more than 20 years?”
After working with APS, I wrote a couple of books. I began giving away training to some teachers and schools. I donated supplies to a few students. I then focused on the educational consulting business I’d started in 2006. I knew I’d go back to work in schools at some point; I didn’t know when. And then the graduation rate for Frederick Douglass High School increased from 42.6% to 59%! I’d been principal of the school then; I knew I had to get back in the game. According to the superintendent, our results were among the greatest percentage point increase of high schools that year.
Not long after, I enrolled in the Georgia School Board Association’s “School Board U” and it clicked. Then in 2016 a former APS school board member–and a current one–talked with me about the idea of running. They were encouraging, I wasn’t ready, but the idea of running kept popping up.
In the past year, neighborhood community groups encouraged me to run. I met with a former APS superintendent to listen and learn. I spoke with my pastor who reminded me that as a ministry student I was taught to lead my ministry: Education
So when I got a call from a community member this summer asking, “Will you run for school board?” I knew it was time and my answer was "YES!"
Are you still certified by Georgia Professional Standards Commission?
Yes. Here's my certification. I dowloaded it on September 18, 2017.
| BURKS certification |