The Clarke County School District Board of Education Administrative Offices at 595 Prince Ave. is shown. The BOE held their first meeting of the 2026-27 school year on August 13, which was District Eight Representative Johnelle Simpson II’s first on the BOE. “It was very nice to get to meet all my colleagues and look forward. All of us joined the Board of Education for a specific reason,” Simpson II said. “I’m excited just to be back at the school district in this capacity and see how we can strengthen all of the good work that’s been taking place over the past years here.” Photo fair use of the CCSD
The CCSD Board of Education kicked off the 2026-27 with two personnel changes, debuting BOE President Mark Evans and District eight representative Johnelle Simpson.
The Clarke County School District Board of Education hosted their first meeting of the 2026-27 school year at the CCSD District Offices at 595 Prince Ave. on Aug. 13, with a new BOE president and District eight representative.
Both BOE president Mark Evans and District eight representative Johnelle Simpson II were elected by the BOE during their June 11 meeting, following the resignations of their precursors. For Evans, the significance of his job has only grown in the context of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence within the Athens community and the resulting deportations of Athens community members.
“(At Judia Jackson Harris Elementary School) I was opening doors for the kids and just (saw) joy. A lot of those kids live with undocumented parents. It was just such a stark example of the lack of hope and then the beginning of hope and I kind of felt a little better about things.”
“I’m excited just to be back at the school district in this capacity and see how we can strengthen all of the good work that’s been taking place over the past years here.”
–Johnelle Simpson II,
CCSD District eight representative
This mindset was echoed by Simpson, who previously served as CCSD’s Work-Based Learning Coordinator from 2016-18 before going to school for a law degree and will be replacing former District Eight representative Nicole Hull for the duration of her term, serving until December.
“It was very nice to get to meet all my colleagues and look forward. All of us joined the Board of Education for a specific reason,” Simpson II said. “I’m excited just to be back at the school district in this capacity and see how we can strengthen all of the good work that’s been taking place over the past years here.”
Evans is replacing former president and current District six representative Dr. Mumbi Anderson after she announced she was stepping down as BOE president in June.
“As someone who believes in public education, (being president) is the ultimate dream for me,” Evans said. “(I want) to be in this position, to be able to help guide our district through some choppy waters.”
