East Cobb News

Since she began speaking out against Cobb County School District leadership a few years ago, Jennifer Susko has hardly stepped out of the spotlight with her blistering criticisms of the powers-that-be.

And now the former Cobb school counselor is vying for a spot on the Cobb Board of Education that she routinely criticizes—and not just the Republican majority.

Susko is a Democratic challenger to Post 6 first-term board member Nichelle Davis in the May 19 primaries precisely because the incumbent recently supported extending the contract of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Susko, who noisily resigned as a counselor at Mableton Elementary School in 2021 so she could speak out on a range of issues—and after the school board banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project—says Davis’ vote was the final straw for her.

“I am running because I believe voters deserve representation that is willing to question leadership when necessary,” Susko told East Cobb News, “insist on answers and not offer automatic support in the face of ongoing concerns about student outcomes, equity, and district direction.”

Here’s Susko’s campaign website; she is currently a counselor with the Georgia Cyber Academy, an online charter school.

Early voting in the primaries began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information.

The winner of the Post 6 primary will be elected to serve a four-year term on the school board, since no Republican qualified.

Post 6 (see map) includes the Campbell and some of the Wheeler high school attendance zone.

It formerly included Walton and Wheeler areas but has been redrawn to boundaries that have made it a predominantly Democratic post.

Susko has received the endorsement of Nichelle Davis’ predecessor, Charisse Davis (no relation), who was at the center of several school board controversies during her one term.

Davis was outspoken on diversity and equity issues, but Susko began to speak out at board meetings prior to that in 2016-17, sparked by what she said was a racist message sent out via social media by a North Cobb High School student.

As a regular during public comment periods, Susko has been especially critical of how the Cobb school district treats minority students. Like Charisse Davis and former board member and now State Sen. Jaha Howard, Susko thinks the district is too harsh with disciplinary measures for minority students in particular.

“For many families, especially Black students and parents, there are long-standing, well-documented concerns about racism in Cobb schools that have not been meaningfully addressed,” Susko said.

“In some cases, efforts intended to respond to those concerns have been reduced or rolled back. A ‘yes’ vote on the superintendent’s contract communicates approval of that trajectory.

“The sky may not be falling to you, but for Black parents and students experiencing racism in schools, it is,” she said. “Ignoring that does not make it disappear. There is documented evidence in district data along with years of students and families describing what they are facing in classrooms and hallways every day.”

Susko cited a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics that “although progress has been made toward racial equality and equity, the evidence to support the continued negative impact of racism on health and well-being through implicit and explicit biases, institutional structures, and interpersonal relationships is clear.

“Failure to address racism will continue to undermine health equity for all children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.”

She said during her time in the Cobb school district, black students told her about being called racial epithets, “hearing adults laugh about the KKK, and constantly facing assumptions that they are not academically capable.”

Sukso said a teacher told her once not to worry about teaching career lessons to a second-grader “because at least he looks great in orange,” a suggestion that “a 7-year-0ld by would end up in prison. These are repeated, compounding harms.”

If those are the incidents that sparked Susko’s activism, they have expanded to include her general priorities if she were elected: accountable leadership and effective oversight, responsive governance and student-centered policies.

“The clearest difference between me and my opponent is how we understand accountability and what we are willing to support in public,” Susko said.

“A vote to renew Superintendent Ragsdale’s contract is one of the strongest signals of confidence in district leadership. My opponent supported that contract; I did not.”

Susko also has been critical of the Cobb school district investing in school safety measures without board action, including a contract with a private cyberintelligence company about which little has been said publicly.

The district has said that Servius is conducting threat assessments at individual schools and developing processes to help schools identify patterns in student behavior that could become safety concerns.

“There have still been incidents where weapons entered school buildings, leaving families questioning whether those systems are effective and whether leadership has been fully held accountable,” Susko said.

She also said the board fails at governance by preventing the airing of public comments, and prohibiting board members from making them.

She supports allowing students to speak during public comment without having a parent present, a change from the current district policy.

“I think a parent permission form is fine, but removing the barrier of parent presence would ensure student voices are heard and allow them to actively practice the civic engagement skills they learn in social studies classrooms,” she said.

Susko said that if she were elected, “maybe” she could support retaining Ragsdale if he “can listen, demonstrate accountability, and make changes when they are necessary for student success without becoming defensive or responding with long public remarks that feel dismissive of students and families . .  However, there is very little evidence of that kind of responsiveness, which makes continued support unlikely.”

When asked if she could make the transition from political bomb-thrower to board member and work with colleagues she may disagree with, Susko told East Cobb News that “a working relationship does not mean agreement, and it does not mean I would ever stay silent in the face of issues harming students. If there are ongoing concerns, I will address them directly and consistently with any board member.

“Some people like to reduce my work to the idea that all I do is get kicked out of boardrooms by police, but that is in my role as a community organizer and through participation in direct action activism. I understand how to navigate both contexts appropriately, but I do not confuse being direct with being unprofessional.”

Susko also has received the endorsement of the political arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which recently was indicted by the federal government. Susko has said that she did not seek that endorsement.

While she said she understands how her views—and style—are seen as controversial, she won’t back down from confrontation if she thinks conversations about school issues are not improving education outcomes, especially for what she describes as disadvantaged students.

“But when you are talking about life-and-death issues and nothing changes, or the response is inadequate or even harmful, you realize that tone alone does not drive outcomes,” Susko said.

“At that point, you must shift from simply speaking to insisting on change. My approach is to name problems clearly and put them on the public record so they cannot be deferred through process or silence.

“I do not adjust my advocacy based on comfort in the room, because the stakes are too high for students and families to be sidelined.”

Related:

• Cobb school board candidate profile: Susan McCartney, Post 4
• Cobb school board candidate profile: Micheal Garza, Post 4
• Cobb Commission candidate profile: JoAnn Birrell, District 3
• Cobb Commission candidate profile: Chris Wasserman, District 3
• Seven East Cobb precinct locations to change for 2026 elections
• East Cobb Early Voting Guide for the 2026 primary election
• East Cobb News explainer: How we cover politics and elections
• MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page

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