Alisha Thomas Searcy is the quintessential candidate to win election as Georgia’s State Superintendent of Schools in November.
By Maynard Eaton
Education experts agree that former Georgia State Representative and school superintendent, Alisha Thomas Searcy, is the quintessential candidate to win election as Georgia’s State Superintendent of Schools in November. Her past track record and history of achievements are unmatched and unassailable. She has excelled at every stage of her exceptional career.
“Much like our Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, I firmly believe that Alisha Thomas Searcy, is overqualified for the role she’s seeking as Georgia’s next State School Superintendent,” opines David Mitchell Founder and CEO, Better Outcomes for OUR Kids. “Her work on policy, her experience with school operations, and her 20-year relationship with parents and communities across the state, will make her unmatched by any other candidate running in this race.”
Searcy, formerly known as Alisha Thomas Morgan, made history at age 23 by becoming the first African American to represent Cobb County in the Georgia General Assembly. She was successfully reelected five times.
Following that, Searcy, a life-long Democrat and proud Spelman College graduate, enhanced her credentials as the former Superintendent of Schools at Ivy Preparatory Academies, a network of all-girls public schools of excellence. While serving as superintendent, Searcy designed and spearheaded the turnaround of the network’s operations, academic achievements, and financial strength. Excellence in education has been her career calling. Her campaign quest is to empower and partner with parents throughout Georgia.
“This campaign is about placing students at the center of our education system,” Searcy says. “It’s about putting parents in the driver’s seat of their children’s education. Parents are too often intimidated by the school system. COVID taught us we no longer just have to accept what the system offers. In the past we’ve been taught to believe they are the experts. But I want parents to feel empowered and know that we are the experts. We know what’s best for our children based on their needs. I want parents to know the system belongs to us. I also feel, very, very strongly about the need to support and respect teachers. Nobody’s giving teachers a platform to talk about what they’ve been through in the last two years, not hearing what they need to be successful in this environment. I want teachers to know I’ll be their champion, too.”
Searcy is also a concerned parent who is raising three school-age children with her husband, Carlos Searcy, a now retired Georgia State Trooper. Searcy is the only candidate with state level policy making experience, experience leading a school system and extensive experience in the private sector. She has all the requisite tools for the task.
“I am a 12-year policymaker and spent most of my tenure working on improving public education,” she explains. “So, I understand how the department of education works. I understand the importance of working with the legislature to make sure we have sound public policy in place. I have a master’s degree in education leadership. I’ve been a superintendent, I have run schools, I’ve hired principals, I have redesigned systems to attract and retain teachers, I’ve closed achievement gaps amidst some of the most difficult circumstances — all things that are significant challenges right now in public education. And I’m a mom of three children navigating the education system right now. So, my experience as a parent, education leader, and as a policymaker, make me uniquely qualified and prepared for this moment to lead our schools in this state and re-imagine what education can be.”
