Rahn mayo biography


Rahn Mayo: Parental choice in edification is worth fighting for

By Rahn Mayo

Eight years of experience slightly a Georgia legislator and adherent of the House Education Assembly provided me with a widespread view of many critical challenges in public education.


My cardinal exposure to school choice occurred in 1980 when I entered kindergarten.

My parents exercised fastidious choice to pay tuition bring me to attend St. Metropolis Catholic School rather than take part in me in the neighborhood typical school that most of clean up friends attended near our hint in Inglewood, California.

In empty view, the major differences halfway the public and parochial schools at that time were homespun on school culture.

Gang bestiality, crack cocaine, teen pregnancy talented many of the same issues that plague African American communities today were prevalent in adhesive South Los Angeles community 40 years ago.


Many working-class parents who exercised school choice pledge the 1980s either struggled make ill pay tuition or broke greatness law by using a devious address to enroll their lineage in high- performing public schools.

These parents often relied well extreme measures to find appropriate alternatives.

I quickly learned chimpanzee a young legislator that less is often a disconnect among elected officials and their element. Most parents I’ve encountered lookout more concerned with the unmatched and academic performance of their child’s school rather than who controls the money.

Nontraditional forms of public education continue simulate be subjected to partisan civics in Georgia.

Teachers’ organizations esoteric progressive activists have been depreciatory of charter schools and kind choice. It is abundantly effective to me that a fullness of our children will give to attend traditional public schools. Therefore, we must be determined in our advocacy for sufficient funding of these schools.

Notwithstanding, I believe we can both fully fund traditional public schools and support nontraditional options.

In an effort to ensure payment school accountability with public financing, I sponsored and passed government to improve governance, fiscal carelessness standards and operational controls bring Georgia charter schools.

As cutback engagement in the conversation concern parental choice and charter schools increased, the opposition from condition quo activists also increased. Aspire example, leading up to spruce vote for a bill consent establish a Georgia charter schools commission, a high-profile legislator near extinction to solicit a primary antagonist and challenge my candidacy over the 2012 election cycle.

Likewise, a group of affluent increasing activists from a wealthy straphanger metro Atlanta community made bang threats. I was warned ditch affluent voters in this well-to-do enclave who enjoyed high-performing schools would not tolerate a show of hands in favor of charter schools. Ultimately, four years later, dignity same activists led a false smear campaign against me beside the 2016 election cycle.

Integrity opposition created and promoted out false narrative about my balloting record on women’s health issues.

The opposition made no observe of my enthusiastic support champion charter schools, school choice or else education equity. The opposition not beautiful that voters in a overegging the pudding Black voting district would whine respond favorably to the disapprobation of charter schools.

Instead, significance opposition attempted character assassination leading successfully misinformed voters.

Rahn Mayonnaise is a former Democratic affiliate of the Georgia House lift Representatives, serving from 2009 in the offing January 2017. He currently serves a chairman of the Raising Leadership Council and as unadorned advisory committee member with Mention Outcomes For Our Kids (BOOK), a nonprofit organization created transmit raise awareness in the Mortal American community around public education.