Rockdale Citizen

CONYERS -- A six-year Rockdale County resident and mother of four students in Rockdale County Public Schools hopes to win an open seat on the Rockdale County Board of Education.

Theresa Schroeder-Langley, 45, qualified last week for the open Post 1 At Large seat on the school board. The seat is currently held by Jeff Dugan, who is not seeking re-election for his post after 15 years in office.

"I'm passionate for kids," she said.

Schroeder-Langley, who moved from Connecticut to Rockdale County six years ago, is a mother of four children -- Stefenie, a rising senior at Heritage High School; Jesse, a rising 11th-grader at Heritage; William, a rising sixth-grader at Edwards Middle School; and Lauren, a rising fourth-grader at Sims Elementary School.

She has served as the vice president of the PTO at Hightower Trail Elementary School and also sat on the Superintendent's Advisory Council, which has given her more information on such topics as planning for the school system's budget, she said.

Schroeder-Langley also knows what it's like to be a parent of both honor students and students with disabilities, such as blindness and severe Attention Deficit Disorder.

"I've probably got the gamut of every single parent," she said. "I can understand every parent's struggle."

She works as a community affairs director for Turner Construction in Atlanta. She said it helps her understand such topics as environmentally friendly products, construction and budgeting and costs.

If elected, she would focus on parents and schools working together.

"It has to be a partnership between parents and schools," she said. "Teachers, students and learning environments are most important."

She also would look into cost-saving measures, while making sure students want to go to school and keeping teachers happy.

"I was educated on a lot less money," she said. "But we have to keep the quality of education the best it can be for all kids."

This would be her first elected office. She also was named one of Who's Who in Black Atlanta last year.

Qualifying for the school board seats already ended. Schroeder-Langley will be on the ballot for the Post 1 at-large seat during the General Election on Nov. 2, along with Jim McBrayer, Jimmy Norfleet and Sandra Lavern Sanford.

In addition to the Post 1 At Large seat, Katrina Young's Post 2 At Large seat also is up for re-election this year on the Rockdale County Board of Education. She will face James Oliver Andrews in the Nov. 2 general election.