On January 8, 2024, Alfred “Sibby” Brooks was sworn in as the first active teacher elected to the Atlanta Board of Education (ABOE) in the 150-year history of Atlanta Public Schools. Prior to 2023, teachers could not serve on boards, regardless of where they taught. But now Brooks, an economics teacher at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County with 13 years of teaching experience, is an At-Large member for District 7.
Brooks said he's focused on teacher pay, hiring a new superintendent and student nutrition in earnest.
“It is both an honor and a responsibility to be given this opportunity,” Brooks said. “I'm asking the community to continue to support our teachers and support the work we're doing to make Atlanta one of the most desirable places to educate kids in America. I just want it.”
Brooks is an avid APS parent, coach, and Georgia NAACP Education Chair. He and his wife, Crystal, have a 7-year-old son, Bryce, 16, and his 16-year-old son, Bryce, was dragged into the ocean while rescuing four children from a Pensacola, Florida, beach last April. I lost you.
Bryce “was the best that Atlanta Public Schools could produce…an honor student and a hero…a good friend to all,” Brooks posted on Instagram.
To honor Bryce, the family established the Bryce Brooks Foundation, which provides college scholarships, free swimming lessons, and lifeguard certifications.
“Because of Bryce's legacy, we are able to really check our own biases and see the good in our children first,” Brooks said, adding that black children mentioned that once they become adults, they may be treated as a threat or irredeemable. Plus, a “6’2” kid in size 14 shoes serves as a reminder of how caring, thoughtful, and community-minded they are. ”
Brooks also models community involvement through the work of the Georgia NAACP.
“In 2020, he led a protest and civic movement called 'Teachers for Good Trouble' that brought hundreds of teachers to state capitols and led efforts to eliminate African American history education and DEI. thwarted attempts to ban it. [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]” said attorney Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia NAACP and the Atlanta NAACP branch. “Now he's leading the way at the collegiate level.”
Appropriately, Mr. Brooks was appointed to the ABOE Policy Committee.
“He brings detailed grassroots knowledge of what it takes to implement policies that benefit Atlanta's schoolchildren,” Griggs said.
At the top of his 2024 to-do list is a teacher compensation plan to address teacher shortages and improve student outcomes.
“I worked hard to get the base salary for teachers to $65,000,” Brooks said. “In some parts of America, that's a joke. In the Southeast, it's a feat.” He also plans to work on building affordable housing so that “teachers can afford to live in the cities they serve.” .
Brooks said by the end of February, the ABOE board will begin the process of hiring a new superintendent, which will include community involvement. The search for a new leader comes after the board decided not to renew Dr. Lisa Herring's contract beyond the 2023-24 school year and her early retirement to become an advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education. It started after receiving.
“Hiring a superintendent will be one of the most important decisions we make this year,” Brooks said.
Although not in the spotlight, Brooks said he will work on the school system's nutrition plan, moving from contracting with a third party to having it prepared by APS employees.
“We have an opportunity to make school meals more than just meals, they are highly desirable,” Brooks said. “I emphasize that because it's so important to kids.”
To connect with stakeholders across the district, Brooks works through school visits, town hall meetings with other district officials, and social media.
“I'm an efficiency guy,” Brooks says. “My schedule is a little different than other directors because I have to be in my classroom. I try to visit as many schools as possible. I have 90,000 people on Instagram and 65,000 people on TikTok. We have a following of people and are contacted regularly by teachers, administrators, parents, and community stakeholders.”
He's also a fan of hats. Everything about him is made by the Black-owned, Atlanta-based Fruition Hat Company.
“Most people don't recognize school board members, but that's not the case for me,” Brooks said.
“A culture of hate is normalized in black culture. If you look at old photos of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and other black social justice warriors, you often see them out there spitting on them. It’s become a nickname.”
The many hats he wears, both literally and figuratively, have been admired by his students, who named him in their yearbooks “Most Inspirational Teacher” and “Most Possible to Appear on the Big Screen.” I just voted for “Teacher with the highest gender.''
“He is loved by all of our students, past and present,” Griggs said. “He's a ball of energy. He has a lot of ideas that I think will be great policies to move Atlanta forward.”
