Both of my children graduated from Gwinnett County schools a number of years ago. At the time, Gwinnett had the number 1 school system in the state, a fact that many Georgia universities recognized when evaluating a student for admission. Currently, the Gwinnett school system’s rating has plummeted to somewhere around 60th in the state. That decline was caused by some current school board members whose policies will continue the system’s decline.
When I heard there was a candidate for District 4 who thought a school system’s top priority should be to provide students with a top quality education, I decided to learn more and contacted her to do an interview, which follows.
Ms. Christopher, many people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of the education Gwinnett County provides. One of the issues is that it seems the school system is more focused on a diversity, equity and inclusion than on education. What kinds of problems have you observed, and what needs to be corrected?
In Gwinnett County we have one of the most diverse populations in Georgia. The equity we offer is that a free and appropriate education is available to all students, and inclusion is a vast topic guided more towards students needing interventions to further their education. The main concern that I have seen up close over the last 5 years, as I have been in 20 different schools in District IV’s 5 clusters, is the lack of grade level proficiency. This may be an outcome of the No Child Left Behind legislation from 15+ years ago. While it was well-intentioned, it pushes students into the following grade before the proficiency is there. I find it disturbing that:
- Fifth graders counting on their fingers to do basic multiplication
- ESL (English as a Second Language) students are placed in mainstream classrooms without understanding the material being taught
- Reading and writing proficiency for all students at roughly 50% at best
When you see those conditions, it becomes clear that the system is broken and these students are not receiving the education they need to be successful. Students need practical, proven approaches: strong literacy programs, phonics instruction, and effective foundational math. We should prioritize what works for students, not what benefits vendors or programs being sold to the district.
School boards are responsible for fiscal oversight of district spending, including administrative growth, curriculum investments, and the use of voter-approved funds such as ESPLOST. Given community concerns about spending priorities what specific steps would you take as a board member to ensure stronger financial accountability and responsible use of taxpayer dollars?
Any serious reduction or reallocation of resources has to address county level salaries and benefits. The system is top heavy. I have seen data that shows in the last 3 years, there has been an increase of 85% in county level (administrative) jobs compared to an increase of 13% for teachers and support staff. I’m in the process of verifying those numbers and from everything I’ve seen, they appear to be fairly accurate.
I would start by setting a goal of reducing administrative costs by at least 20%.
With an average of $220,000 per employee at the county level, this cut could create multiple support staff positions within our schools that directly benefit the students. Immediately repealing the Sex Ed program vote from February 2026, could put $1.7 million back in the budget.
I would also like the system to come up with criteria other than advanced degrees as a means to reward teachers for outstanding performance and seniority, as some veteran teachers do not have the means or family time to invest in advanced degrees and yet they are some of our most valuable assets.
Comprehensive sex education has not received favorable survey results from the community in the past two attempts, however, after a shortened pilot and an extremely limited survey pool, the school board approved a new sex education program in February 2026. The board members noted the parents will have a choice. That choice will come with a heavy responsibility to ensure that the students receive the correct materials. GCPS has historically been difficult when it comes to parents exercising their right to refuse surveys and other educational materials for their children. What is your opinion of the new sex education materials recently approved by GCPS and do you think an opt in to the sex ed programs would be a better solution?
It’s an outrageously expensive alternative to the previous program which cost approximately $200,000 and had strong, positive outcomes, including relatively low rates of teen pregnancy, STIs, and abortions. The newly approved program will cost approximately $1.9 million. In other systems where it has been implemented, reported outcomes are less favorable than those of the previous program in Gwinnett. Additionally, some of the content attempts to normalize provocative sexual practices and present them as “options”. The purpose of a sex education program is to educate, not to promote any type of sexual orientation.
I do think a choice to OPT IN would be good, however, the best idea would be to immediately attempt to repeal the new program altogether. The problem with OPT IN is there are parents who do not know what is in this program and assume the school system has chosen something good, moral, and appropriate for their child. That choice could be disastrous because it would expose a student to material that parents may consider inappropriate for their child.
In the event a student is given the wrong materials, they can’t make the student “unsee” that material. An apology from the school system is not sufficient when it comes to material that is sexualized or conflicts ideologically with a parent’s beliefs. Parents will and should be able to file lawsuits against the school system.
I believe the differences between the two programs speak for themselves, and families should be able to view the material to decide which they prefer, however, I repeat, what we had was working well and as I have stated previously, my first order of business would be the repealing of this program altogether.
Following the tragedy at Apalachee High School, school safety has become a major focus. Proposals, such as weapons detectors in elementary schools that carry significant costs have no significant data to support them, while some GCPS schools still rely on portable classrooms and all GCPS schools face shortages of school resource officers. If you had to prioritize school safety investments, what would be your top priorities and why?
I support the use of SROs at every school. I believe a cruiser in front of a school with armed SRO personnel visible would be monumentally effective in deterring an armed intruder from entering a school. The SRO should be active in moving about the whole school during the day, speaking to kids, giving QA sessions, being a trusted person within the school.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Some teachers and parents believe these approaches have led to inconsistent discipline and more classroom disruptions, while others say they improve student outcomes. In 2023, GCPS adopted restorative justice practices and continues to use a PBIS philosophy. How would you evaluate these policies and ensure classrooms remain safe and conducive to learning for all students?
I have heard from teachers. Some approve of PBIS and think it works well. Some teachers will say it is another layer of bureaucracy heaped on them: tickets, games, trinkets, and candy. If a principal would really listen to their teachers, they could come up with what is working in their school. If it is working keep it, if not, let it go.
There is another system, JCDI, Justice Centered Disciple Initiative. It has layers and layers of documentation that account for every action from a student including chances given, discussions had, notes sent to parents, peer mediation (buddy system with a “good” kid). The problem currently is we have all of these disruptive things happening in our classrooms- weeks and maybe months of a student commandeering the classroom and disrupting the best attempts by the teacher to teach and run her classroom effectively.
To be effective, discipline policies should be firm, well understood by students, easy to execute with certain consequences and swift application. The policy must be universal because tolerance of any kind of unacceptable behavior by any person or group of persons erodes the calm and supportive classroom environment required for learning
How do you feel about a student’s right to organize a protest and to participate in a protest during school hours? Should they receive a punishment for disrupting a school day, for missing class and/or a tardy if they return late to class? Or do you feel this should be allowed?
The purpose of a school system is to educate according to a defined curriculum. Perhaps the first line of a student protest should be to write a clear and concise letter to their legislators. Decades ago, students would gather around a flagpole as a way to peacefully show they cared for their school and wanted to pray for their fellow students. It was always before school and student led. A peaceful protest for any student-led issue should be conducted similarly: not during school hours, not staff-led, and only lightly assisted by a sponsor teacher or a staff member. Berkmar HS had a list for every teacher and staff person onsite to monitor locations for their “student” protest. Their “protest” became an unsafe chaotic situation. You can view the videos for validation of this statement. Students left the school grounds and many did not return to class. This could have left the school district with millions in punitive damages had even one child been injured. The chairman of the current board penned support for what transpired.
Do you feel that it is the parent’s right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious education of his or her minor child?
Yes, the parent has a “right” to bring up a child in the moral and religious upbringing of their choosing until that “right” violates the law, ie, molestation, incest, physical harm etc. Those instances would always be referred to counselors and then to authorities.
Special education services are already stretched thin, yet in recent years they were among the first areas impacted when COVID funding ended. Do you believe special education should be protected from future cuts, and how would you ensure these students continue to receive the level of services they are legally entitled to?
Special Education should be available to all students who need those services or accommodations. This is dictated by federal law and our school system should do everything possible to comply. Properly funding a school to have the right personnel could be referred back to the original question of how to correctly balance the budget or use the funds available.
Special education is largely ignored by school boards everywhere. Locally, we are hearing of a push for inclusion, which brings strong reactions from people in the special education world. What does that mean to you when you hear inclusion in terms of special education?
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) for a special needs student should be decided upon by ALL persons involved with the student: parents, resource specialist, general Ed teachers, and administration. An IEP should take all behaviors and learning patterns into account and make a plan that fits the student. 100% inclusion without custom considerations is not even a legal option. I heard of one option, that when a school cannot accommodate an IEP or 504 (Americans With Disabilities Act) accommodation, the school or school district can be made to pay for tuition to a private school that can accommodate the student correctly. This was an isolated situation, but could be an option vs. hiring a specialized teacher for that student.
What motivated you to move to Gwinnett County?
One of the major factors was the county’s school system. When we moved to Lilburn in 1998, the Gwinnett school system was ranked #1 in the state. We were thrilled to bring our young children into such a strong school system. Unfortunately, today the district is currently ranked around 60th in the state. That means current students are being denied top quality education. Businesses are increasingly hesitant to relocate here if they cannot offer their employees access to a high-quality public school system. I think the system needs saving, through foundationally rebuilding.
What led you to run for the School Board in South Gwinnett District IV?
In many ways, this decision reflects my entire journey. As a student, I discovered that I performed best in smaller class sizes. I initially pursued a degree in psychology to better understand how people learn, and later I earned a degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University, which led to my career and eventually brought me to the Atlanta area.
Out of necessity, I homeschooled one of my daughters for kindergarten, where she learned to read, and later both of my daughters were home schooled for fifth grade. One is now a Nurse Practitioner at Emory, and the other is an Economics Teacher at Mill Creek High School.
Years later, after staying involved in their schools and working in construction and the insurance industry, I spent five years as a substitute teacher. During that time, I saw firsthand what was happening inside the GCPS system—particularly in South Gwinnett—and how little effective learning was taking place in some classrooms.
When I was asked to consider running for this position and to help address these issues, I said YES! As a side note, my mother was a career educator, serving as a teacher, counselor, and eventually President of the Fort Bend County School Board in Southwest Houston. I saw first-hand the difference strong leadership can make in the quality of education students receive. She is a strong supporter of my current effort to run for school board
To sum up, what changes do you believe are necessary to return Gwinnett’s school system to being one of the best in the state?
There are several changes that could be implemented quickly to improve performance, but it will take a school board that is dedicated to making the necessary changes: cohesive in a mission, listening to the experts that are hired by the county, not just voting with a personal mission in mind.
Because Gwinnett’s population is so diverse there may be some unique challenges, but the issues that unite us all are quality education, safe peaceful schools, programs that enrich the students and the community.
WE CAN:
Make literacy and foundational math top priorities, without rigidly tying progress to grade-level labels
Place ESL students in English immersion programs for at least one semester before transitioning them into mainstream classrooms
Revise the discipline system to be consequence-based, with clear, consistent policies and alternative learning placements when necessary to maintain safe classrooms
Reduce county-level administrative positions and redirect those funds to local schools for paraprofessional support, helping relieve teachers of non-instructional duties and allowing more time for lesson planning and grading
Reduce class sizes wherever possible
These solutions may sound straightforward, but teachers consistently report being overwhelmed by micromanagement, constantly changing instructional methods, social-emotional requirements, and complex discipline processes that require excessive documentation before action can be taken. Teachers should be empowered to focus on academics—not administrative burdens or shifting mandates.
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