Pickett Announces Bid For Vacant Fulton School Board Seat

From Dr. Pickett: Former Fulton County School Board of Education Candidate Dr. De’Andre S. Pickett has announced that he would provide a letter of interest and resume to be appointed to the District 6 seat he sought back in 2014 against outgoing board member Catherine Maddox.

“Mrs. Maddox has served our community on the board of education for over 11 years providing love and support to the young people of the 6th District. Her seat, though replaceable, is a hard act to follow.” Says Dr. Pickett. “I for one will miss her openness to have conversations when I needed them and how she took special interest in making sure that it was known that Christ was her source to doing the work that she did so well. I hope I can be offered the opportunity to continue the work of such a remarkable leader.”

Dr. Pickett and Catherine Maddox were opponents in a three-way race during the 2014 elections where he garnered 30% of the votes in a low turnout election, however grew a great working relationship after with Mrs. Maddox. Since 2006, De'Andre has served in many educational capacities from Educational Specialist, Dean of Students, to currently serving as the Academic Affairs Director for Literacy Action; the oldest, largest, and leading adult basic education nonprofit in the Southeastern United States. He also serves as the Vice President of the Governing Board and the Chair of the Academic & School Performance Committee for The Main Street Academy in which he advocates daily for 900 students and staff members through ensuring fiscal health for the school and academic standards are being met. Through his experience in the classroom, De'Andre works hard to correlate what is happening to our low-performing students and the household they come from.

When asked about his focus for the future of the district, he narrowed in on three key areas: sustainability, community engaged, and fostering a spirit of innovation across the district.

“As a former educator and administrator in South Fulton and Southwest Atlanta, I saw first-hand the hardships many parents and students faced: inadequate funding and resources for low performing schools, lack of motivation and expectations that decrease morale, inconsistent standards that caused daily challenges that made teaching harder. I knew it was my responsibility to do more - I will continue to fight to make sure the quality of life is not compromised nor looked over.”

If selected, Dr. Pickett would be the youngest person to ever serve on the Fulton County school board and only the second African American male. This is extremely important to him.

“I take pride in knowing that if selected, every day that I wake up, there is some young man or someone who will get inspired at the fact that there is someone not much older than and looks like me, advocating on my behalf. That makes me feel good to know that I too can inspire and motivate with one seat."

Photo courtesy of DeAndre Pickett