Candidate Profile: Michelle Morancie For Fulton County BOE District 7

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Three candidates qualified for the Fulton County Board of Education District 7 seat in the May 24 General Primary/Special Election.

Michelle Morancie, of Sandy Springs, is running for Fulton County School Board District 7
against Linda Arnold and Phil Chen.

May 24, 2022 General Primary/Special Election sample ballots are available for review at the Georgia My Voter Page. Enter your information in order to access a personalized sample ballot.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Name

Michelle Morancie

Campaign website

https://drmichellemorancie.com

City or town of residence

Sandy Springs, GA

Office sought

Fulton County School Board District 7

Party affiliation

N/A

Education

Wesleyan University, BA-Psychology; New York University, MA & PhD - Psychology

Occupation

Licensed Psychologist

Family

I have 3 sons. Tony Chin-Quee, 38; Marcus Chin-Quee, 36; Matthew Chin-Quee, 33.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

63

Previous public office, appointive or elective

No

Why are you seeking this office?

I have worked in education for my entire career. As such, I have seen many successes and failures in the way that schools are run. In Fulton County, as in many school districts around the country, there is a large discrepancy in the quality of education for the haves and have nots. I would like to work to change that. In addition, I am very concerned about the way that schools manage mental health issues among students and staff.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is the unequal quality of education in different parts of the district. I would like to work toward improving engagement of families and partnerships with community businesses and agencies to improve the resources that are available to children of color.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My focus is on finding ways to support students, families, and teachers, both academically and socially. My 30 years of direct experience in schools as a counselor, consultant, and advisor has helped me to develop relationships, understand unique issues, and offer solutions to a variety of problems faced by these stakeholders.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

N/A

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Teacher retention is a very important issue in the district and throughout the country. Teachers and other school staff are feeling unappreciated, disrespected, and micromanaged. The Board needs to work with school administrators to improve the support that they provide to staff.

In addition, I would like to see creative and active recruitment of psychologists and social workers to address the increase in mental health issues among the students. At this time, the ratio of clinicians to students is too high and limits the amount of time that they can spend doing preventive work with students and families in their schools.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have led evaluation teams, taught college and graduate level courses in Psychology, mentored School Psychology interns, and managed my own private practice for 25 years.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The one thing you can count on in this life is change.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe that I am the best candidate for this job. I can bring new ideas and insight to a Board that has been in place for at least the past 10 years. It is time for change.