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.
Related stories
- Cobb schools online learning lottery opens for spring semester
- Cobb school board member sends e-mail discouraging COVID vaccines
- Cobb school board to hold special called meeting for legal reasons
- Cobb school district sued by parents over COVID-19 protocols
- Cobb schools awaiting accreditor’s special review report
- Pope HS students install Little Free Library at Green Acres ES
- Cobb school superintendent defends masks-optional policy
- ADL: Cobb schools response to anti-Semitic attacks ‘disappointing’
- Cobb schools bring disciplinary charges in anti-Semitic incidents
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
