When he was in the fifth grade at F. L. Stanton Elementary School, Jason B. Allen led a group of classmates in a community service activity. 

His teacher at the time overheard him venting about what was happening in the community and how he felt like no one cared about its upkeep. 

“She, Miss Edwards, who is still teaching today, inspired me to do something about it,” Allen told The Reckoning. “Instead of going to Six Flags for a class trip, we cleaned yards, cut grass, and picked up trash.”

There he was at ten years old, leading his classmates and helping to sustain the community. Today, Allen is one of two candidates seeking to replace Jason F. Esteves, the current board chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, as the At Large District 9 representative. D’Jaris ‘DJ’ James, founder of a college and career coaching program, Secrets of a Southern Belle & Gent, is the other candidate. 

With 17-plus years of experience in the education field, which includes years in the classroom as a special education and general education teacher, as well as serving as a district administrator and family engagement specialist, Allen is also one of two candidates to identify with the Black LGBTQ+ community running for school board. 

“I am not running for the board to say I am an advocate for any particular group. We should be advocating for every student,” he said. “I am a champion for students and what drives home for me is that there are a lot of students who do not have anyone they can identify with in their families, homes, or classrooms. It is important to have someone on the board who will ask the necessary questions with sensitivity when considering why we aren’t providing the resources needed for our vulnerable constituencies in the school system.”

It is safe to say teaching and a commitment to education are in Allen’s DNA. He comes from a long line of educators, education advocates, and entrepreneurs. On his mother's side, his great, great grandmother, who had no formal education, was part of a community network that fought to ensure there was access to a good education and resources within the community. 

“She instilled in us two things: the importance of developing and building the communities we lived in and the value of education.”

On his father’s side of the family, his great grandfather taught until he was 90-years-old. He passed away at the age of 92. He was part of a troupe of teachers who traveled from North Carolina to Virginia in support of the mathematicians and engineers featured in the book, “Hidden Figures.” 

“It is a gift,” he added. “Teaching is a gift. As a special education teacher, I work with an exceptional population of students; many who are overlooked or diagnosed with things because of the color of their skin. It is very intentional work.”

Qualified To Lead 

Allen’s commitment to children is at the root of the work he does every day. It is also at the root of his campaign. He believes that, in order for APS students to be successful, there needs to be a commitment to ensuring equity in the system across the board. He points out that not only are students learning in buildings with mold and mildew, buildings that are falling apart, and ceiling leaking; not enough support is being given to the workers that are essential to the system — and not just the teachers. 

“Bus drivers are not being paid a livable wage. They drive our kids to and from school, and then work another job in the evenings,” he uses as an example. “Yes, it is important to ensure every student receives the best educational survival possible in order for them to succeed. It is also important to ensure they arrive at school and home safely. But we are placing a strain on the workforce, also responsible for their safety. This is the work of the board to mitigate the risk — risk management.”

Allen seeks to harness not only his extensive experience but the awareness his experience adorns him to the Atlanta School Board awareness. Experience, he said, is important; but what is also important is a sensitivity to issues and realities he believes are missing on the Atlanta School Board. He highlights his time as an after-school program director as an example. 

Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m., and some Saturdays, he was contracted. During that time, he was not making an equitable, livable wage. Most board members do not understand that.”

“They do not understand the impact the policies they are creating are having on people in those real-life experiences. They do not have firsthand experience even though they like to talk about their experience in the classroom and how it makes them qualified to lead,” he said. “But if you have not been in the classroom for over five years, you are not a seasoned teacher. You were a novice the first two years, which means you only really have two or three years of classroom experience.” 

As a member of the school board, he intends to improve accountability. Yes, he believes there is a need to know where the money is being invested, but what is equally important is ensuring that whoever is hired as superintendent is qualified to address the needs of the school system and students. 

If the person chosen to be superintendent is not prepared or capable of addressing the system’s issues, the fault should not be placed on the superintendent but on the board. This means, Allen said, the board needs to be aware of the needs of the system when determining who is the best-equipped candidate. 

And while the budget is a hot-button issue Allen intends to address, he is also interested in improving engagement across the school system. 

“There is a lot of concern about the waterboys, but what is not being addressed is that our students do not have the resources they need to succeed and their parents do not have the wrap-around services they need to continue education at home,” he said. “Many of our students are being raised by grandparents, or their home isn’t safe for them—especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic — and now a large proportion of them are homeless.”

Black LGBTQ+ youth make up the largest percentage of the population of homeless youth in Atlanta, said Allen. 

“We should be providing as much as we can to these students in transitional situations. They are still students in our school district,” he said. “I would love for the district to invest more into these students. It's important to improve our culture and build relationships with our families. Stop saying what you cannot do and provide solutions!”