Q&A with Cobb County Post 6 school board Democratic candidate Jennifer Susko

By Rebecca Gaunt

Jennifer Susko, a school counselor who previously worked for the Cobb County School District, is challenging the incumbent, Nichelle Davis, for the Post 6 seat on the Cobb County Board of Education. 

The two candidates will face off in the Democratic primary on May 19. As no Republicans qualified in the Post 6 race, the primary will determine who will serve the next term.

All primary candidates for the board were sent questionnaires by email and their responses will be published in full as submitted.

Early voting begins April 27.

Job: School Counselor

Education: M.Ed. in School Counseling (University of West Georgia); BS in Child & Family Development (UGA)

Related work/volunteer/community experience: School Counselor, Community Organizer, Georgia State University Master of Public Policy graduate level coursework (ended pursuit of M.P.P. when father became ill)

Website/contact: suskoforcobb.com; IG: @jennifersusko26

You resigned from your school counselor position with CCSD in 2021, but have continued to be a steady presence at school board meetings. What drives you to stay involved?

I remain deeply engaged with the Cobb County School District because it is my home. I was raised here, I live here, and I care deeply about the students and families who walk into Cobb schools every day. At the center of my work is a commitment to ensuring that Black students are not subjected to harm in the very place that should be safest for them: school.

As a school counselor, I have seen firsthand how experiences of racism and exclusion negatively impact students’ mental health, sense of belonging, and ability to learn. That reality has shaped my advocacy. I am driven by both professional responsibility and personal conviction to do everything I can to ensure that Black students and families are supported, affirmed, and able to thrive.

I ultimately resigned in protest following the district’s ban on Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project. That decision signaled that the longstanding concerns raised by Black students and families about racism in our schools were not only being dismissed but further marginalized. At that point, I recognized that my advocacy for student wellbeing would be more effective outside of the system.

My professional work continues to be grounded in an understanding of systemic racism and its impact on students, including scholarship informed by Critical Race Theory. Rather than remain in an environment where those realities were increasingly constrained, I chose to continue this work independently of district employment while partnering with Black and Brown families to advocate for schools where every student is safe, supported, and positioned to succeed.

You stated publicly that board member Nichelle Davis’s vote to extend Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s contract in 2025 is a factor in your decision to challenge her in the primary. Why?

My decision is rooted in what that vote represents. Supporting Superintendent Ragsdale’s contract signals approval of his leadership and the direction of the district over time. For many families, especially Black students and families, there are longstanding, well-documented concerns about racism in Cobb schools that have not been meaningfully addressed. In some cases, efforts and programming intended to respond to those concerns have been scaled back or removed. A “yes” vote on the contract communicates support for that pattern.

It also raises serious questions about accountability around school safety. The district has invested significant resources into outside security measures, including a contract with Servius Group, which has been described as something like a counter-intelligence tool to help prevent weapons from entering schools. This is a multi-million dollar investment that did not receive a board vote, despite typical expectations for oversight on expenditures of that size. Servius has made extraordinary claims about its capabilities, including stating it stopped Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine two days before he did it, yet in our own district, there have still been incidents where weapons entered school buildings.

For example, the month before that contract vote, a student at Lindley Middle School brought a gun into the building, shot herself, and died. In that moment, families were left asking a very real question: where were these systems that we were told would keep students safe? And yet, when the superintendent’s contract came forward, there was no public reckoning with whether those measures were working or whether adjustments were needed. A “yes” vote in that context signals confidence not only in leadership, but in the decisions surrounding student safety.

When a board member votes to extend a superintendent’s contract, it is one of the clearest public signals of confidence in their leadership. I believe our community deserves the opportunity to evaluate that direction and have a choice in the primary, especially when there are ongoing concerns about student wellbeing, equity, and safety that many families feel have not been adequately addressed.

One of your campaign priorities is oversight and accountable leadership. What will that look like if you are elected?

Cobb County Board policy makes clear that the superintendent is the sole employee of the Board of Education, and the board’s responsibility is to oversee, evaluate, and hold that position accountable in the best interest of students and the community. While the policy sets structure and limits on individual board member interaction with the superintendent, it also clearly outlines what the superintendent “shall” provide to the board in terms of information, reports, and communication necessary for oversight.

I intend to operate fully within policy BBD. However, I will not interpret the restrictions in a way that weakens supervision or leads to silence when student safety, equity, or fiscal responsibility are at stake. Equally important, I will consistently hold the superintendent accountable for the “shall” provisions in the policy, ensuring he provides all required information to the board. He cannot selectively rely on the sections that restrict board members while failing to fully meet the sections that require transparency, reporting, and responsiveness to the board.

For example, there have been high-cost initiatives tied to school safety, including the Servius contract and the implementation of vapor wake dogs, with costs in the range of tens of thousands of dollars per dog. These initiatives have been promoted as highly effective safety measures, including claims by the superintendent such as “100 percent success rate,” yet there have still been documented incidents in which weapons have entered schools. There have also been community concerns about transparency and whether required board approval processes were consistently followed for large expenditures.

In my role, I will ask those questions directly and publicly in appropriate board settings. That includes requesting clear explanations of decision-making processes, evidence supporting claims, and documented outcomes for programs implemented in the name of student safety. I will also request corrective action plans when results do not match stated expectations.

Importantly, nothing in my approach is intended to “embarrass or humiliate” the superintendent. My focus is accountability, transparency, and student wellbeing. I am aware that some current board members interpret language in the superintendent’s contract about “intent to embarrass” in ways that discourage public questioning. I do not believe that asking for evidence, outcomes, and improvement plans is a personal attack. It is the basic responsibility of governance.

So, I will not be deterred by concerns about a questionable contract when raising legitimate issues. The board’s responsibility is to ensure district actions align with the stated priority of student safety, not simply to listen to the superintendent repeat that priority as a slogan while limiting scrutiny. When programs are described as highly effective but do not perform as promised, it is the board’s responsibility to ask why and what will be done differently.

Which board policies, if any, would you prioritize revisiting and why?

First, I would revisit the public comment policy requiring students to have a parent physically present to speak. While I understand the intent is likely to ensure student safety and consent, in practice this requirement limits student voice, particularly for students whose parents work. Students are at the center of what we do, and Cobb schools consistently teach the importance of civic engagement and participation in democratic processes. If students choose to engage civically by addressing their elected board, they should be allowed to do so. I believe a parent permission form is appropriate, but I would support revisiting the requirement that a parent must be physically present for a student to speak.

I would also prioritize revisiting another part of BCBI which governs public participation at board meetings. This policy previously included language allowing board members to respond to public commenters. That language was later removed following a situation where board members were criticized for not complying with a request to wear masks during a moment of silence honoring a Cobb educator who died of COVID while teaching in the district. After that incident went internationally viral, the policy was revised, and there were claims that the restriction on board response had always been in place.

I would support restoring the original intent of BCBI to allow appropriate board member response to public comment. Public meetings should include meaningful dialogue and accountability, not only one-way communication, while still maintaining order and respect for the process.

What is the district doing well?

One area where Cobb has historically been exceptional is school counseling. The district was once closely aligned with the American School Counselor Association National Model and frequently earned Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) awards, one of the highest recognitions in the field. That reflected the expertise and sustained effort of excellent Cobb school counselors building comprehensive programs that supported students academically, socially-emotionally, and in postsecondary planning.

That distinction is now largely historic. In recent years, key components required for full alignment with the ASCA model and RAMP standards have been removed. Those components are essential to ensuring all students and families are fully supported. Cobb has the capacity to return to that level of excellence, but it will require intentional realignment and for the superintendent to be willing to stand firm in the best interest of students. We have seen instances where federal guidance targeting programs that support Black students and students with disabilities is embraced and acted on, even when it is not legally required. When those directives are later challenged or rescinded, it becomes clear those decisions were avoidable. Leadership should not be eager to align with policies that limit support for students.

Cobb also does a strong job supporting and retaining educators. The pay is competitive, and the calendar is one of the best in the metro area, with well-spaced breaks that benefit both staff and students. I often miss working in Cobb partly because of the pay and the calendar! 

Academically, Cobb remains a high-performing district. Strong graduation rates, typically consistent performance on state assessments, and a wide range of academic programs, including advanced coursework and career pathways, reflect a system with many effective structures in place. Just as important, Cobb’s teachers and staff are exceptional. Their skill, dedication, and daily work are what make student success possible. Across the district, there are strong instructional practices and well-established programs, policies, and protocols that support learning at a high level. 

What motivated you to co-found Cobb Community Care Coalition?

The Cobb Community Care Coalition was created in response to a growing sense among families that the district was becoming less responsive, less inclusive, and less aligned with the needs of all students. At the time, decisions were being made that many in the community experienced as harmful, including the removal of books following pressure from groups like Libs of TikTok, as well as a broader pattern of leadership actions that families felt contributed to a more hostile environment for Black students, LGBTQ+ students, and other marginalized groups.

At the same time, the Board of Education was widely perceived as unresponsive to ongoing concerns from families, particularly around school safety and student wellbeing. Many parents and students felt unheard, even when raising serious and well-documented issues. That combination created a sense that families were largely left to navigate challenges on their own.

The coalition was built out of a different value system, one rooted in the politics of care. What we imagine as the best world we can build is one where we, as a community, take care of all children, not just our own. Instead of operating in silos and only responding when an issue directly impacts an individual family, the coalition creates space for families across the district to support one another proactively and collectively.

That looks like both advocacy and direct support. On the advocacy side, the coalition provides a space for caregivers and students to come together, share concerns, and organize around making the district more responsive and accountable. It creates pathways for civic engagement for people who may not have previously felt heard or empowered to participate.

On the direct support side, the coalition has worked to meet real needs when gaps exist. For example, providing resources like summer meals when families needed additional support, or connecting community members to one another to ensure students and families are cared for beyond what the district provides.

Ultimately, the Cobb Community Care Coalition was created because families wanted something different. They wanted a way to show up for each other, to advocate for better governance, and to ensure that every student in the district is supported, valued, and able to thrive.

What else should Post 6 voters know about you?

I am running to ensure voters have a choice in the primary.

In addition to board policies I would like to revisit, I would also hope to address logistical barriers to participation in public comment, such as requiring attendees to wait outside in extreme weather conditions. Prior practice allowed individuals to wait in line inside the building, which is a more reasonable and accessible approach, particularly for families, students, and older adults. Recent changes to public comment procedures have contributed to First Amendment legal challenges related to viewpoint suppression in the sign-up and queue process. Policies should be designed to ensure equitable access for all speakers, not to advantage certain groups or create perceptions of preferential access. 

I would revisit the district’s restriction on Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project. While not technically a board policy but a superfluous ban, in practice it has a chilling effect on educators who feel constrained in teaching accurate and complete Black history. With the federal context shifting and prior guidance related to “DEI” having been rescinded, policies should ensure instructional decisions are grounded in academic standards rather than unnecessary political restrictions that limit educational integrity. 

I would also advocate to restore live streaming of public comment so families, community members, and CCSD staff can watch when they cannot attend in person, as they were able to do for decades before it was discontinued last year.

I am not running to defend the status quo or to continue a pattern of automatic support for leadership decisions without meaningful accountability. Voters deserve more than agreement for agreement’s sake. They deserve representation that is willing to ask hard questions, challenge decisions when needed, and center students rather than institutional comfort. My candidacy is about ensuring that kind of accountability exists on the board so the community can see clear differences in perspective and choose who they trust to represent their values.