Dear Friends, Supporters and Atlanta Public Schools (District 5) Educators, Parents, Students, Stakeholders, and Community:

I have filed the necessary "Declaration of Intention" to accept campaign contributions to be the Atlanta Board of Education District 5 representative, and I will submit the necessary forms to qualify to have my name placed on the ballot as the filing dates approach. I humbly ask for your support, prayers, and your vote on Election Day, Tuesday November 7, 2023.

More than ever, achieving economic success requires a well-educated population. Our schools are the foundation on which Atlanta's future is built and in order to ensure a strong foundation we must have strong leaders on our school board.

As a lifelong resident of West Atlanta, I am a product of the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) system, which I hope to be able to represent as one of your board members.

A native Atlantan raised in historic SW Atlanta, I attended Atlanta Public Schools M. A. Jones Elementary, Beecher Hills Elementary, graduated from Southwest Atlanta High (1977), and graduated from Boston College (Carroll School of Management, Major: Computer Science), earning a Bachelor's of Science degree.

I have more than 4 decades in the software development field with the past 20+ years as a Project Manager responsible for successfully managing IT and Digital Media projects.

I know how vital it is to exercise good judgment and fiscal responsibility on a daily basis. Likewise, it is important that the Atlanta Public Schools district be operated as efficiently as possible so that every student in every classroom at every school has the opportunities to learn in a safe environment of excellence.

With more than 2 decades of service, I am a  member of APS Community Education Group EMC² - Embracing Mays Community and Cluster Member, Atlanta Municipal Courts - Restorative Justice Board Member, The Fulton County My Brother’s Keeper Taskforce Board Member, Fulton County District Attorney's Office Anti-Gang Youth Violence Task Force Member, and APD Zone 4 Citizen Advisory Board Member.

My volunteer work includes United Way of Greater Atlanta, National Urban League (Atlanta Chapter), NAACP,  Boys and Girls Club, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and Hosea Feed the Hungry.

I have served on APS School Turnaround Strategy Advisory Committee Member representing the Mays Cluster, APS Continental Colony Elementary School - Local School Council Board member, and a member of the Atlanta City Council's Commission honoring the Honorable Judge Isabel Gates Webster (Isabel Gates Webster Park - Peyton Forest Neighborhood).

In the past 12 months, I have toured every school in APS District 5 and have talked and listened to young people, educators, parents and community stakeholders in all walks of life.

After listening to youth, educators, parents and community stakeholders, I say, "We must provide the teachers, who are entrusted daily with their care, the tool they need to do their job."

As your next Atlanta Board of Education  - District 5 member, I will:

• Fight every day to provide FREE after-school tutoring programs for APS K-12 scholars to recover learning loss. 

• Fight to leverage eSPLOST tax dollars to provide job opportunities for APS vocational education students.

• Fight every day to break down and remove traumatic barriers that impede learning.

• Fight to invest in Early Childhood Learning.

It's this type of forward thinking leadership that best serves our students.

It is with these ideals that I begin our campaign, but I need your financial donations, in-kind contributions and prayers.

Your contributions are what make all this possible. There is no contribution too small.

Support our campaign by donating at the level of your choosing at:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/raynard-for-aps-5-1

Or you can send a check or money order payable to:

Raynard Johnson for Atlanta
1878 S. Gordon St., SW
Atlanta, GA 30310

Your investment in our campaign will be most appreciated. Your support will be vital! Thank you so much for your generous support. We can never thank you enough.

Yours for APS,

#RaynardForAPS5
#ImWithRaynard
#AdvocacyActionResults

"The Voice of the Voiceless!"