First-term Cobb Board of Education member Jaha Howard has filed paperwork run for Georgia Superintendent of Schools in 2022.
Howard, a Democrat from Post 2 (Campbell and Osborne clusters) registered his campaign committee with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission on Sunday.
In late June, he filed a Declaration of Intent form with the same agency but didn’t specify which office he was seeking.
Official qualifying begins early next year for the May 2022 primaries.
A pediatric dentist from Vinings, Howard has been a controversial figure in his nearly three-year tenure on the school board, pressing for action on racial and diversity issues and challenging the Cobb County School District’s COVID-19 policies.
When he attempted to question Superintendent Chris Ragsdale about those protocols at the September board meeting, he was cut off by chairman Randy Scamihorn.
He and fellow board Democrats Charisse Davis and Tre’ Hutchins then walked out of the meeting room in protest.
That was the latest of several instances of party conflict on the Cobb school board since 2019.
Earlier this year, the three Democrats requested a special review by Cognia, the Cobb school district’s accrediting agency, that is expected to be released soon.
Howard is one of three school board members up for re-election in 2022.
Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters in Post 6, has not announced whether she’s seeking a second term.
Also in East Cobb’s Post 4, Republican David Chastain has said he will be running again. Kennesaw State University student Austin Heller is an announced candidate as a Democrat for that post, which includes the Kell and Sprayberry clusters.
No candidates have yet announced for Post 2. That was one of two school board seats that swung from GOP to Democrat in 2018 (along with Post 6), reducing Republican majority to 4-3.
Howard unsuccessfully ran in a special election for a State Senate seat in 2017, losing to Jen Jordan. She has announced she’s running for Georgia Attorney General next year.
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I just want to know why the board will not release absent counts.
After putting the county’s accreditation in jeopardy, he feels like it is time to spread his grandstanding and incompetence to the state level.
What has he done as a school board member besides being a racist who acts like a spoiled child when he doesn’t get his way? Honestly, how has he improved Cobb County schools?