AFSA Elects New National President: Baxter M. Atkinson, Hartford Local President, Principal Vows Fight for More Education Funding, Accountability; Officers and Board Also Elected.

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2003

The American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA), AFL-CIO, the only national labor union for public school principals, assistant principals, administrators, and supervisors announced today that Baxter M. Atkinson has been elected its new national president. He assumes the presidency immediately.

In a resounding unanimous vote, delegates to AFSA's Tenth Triennial Constitutional Convention elected President Atkinson to lead the nearly 20,000 member national union of public school principals and administrators. As president, he will lead the union for the next three years and carry out AFSA's agenda centering on fighting for quality public school education, and ensuring that every child receives the best possible public education. He will be assisted by three national officers and the union's twelve-member General Executive Board, also elected at the convention.

President Atkinson is currently president of the Hartford Principals and Supervisors' Association, AFSA Local 22, Hartford, Connecticut. He is also Treasurer of the Connecticut Federation of School Administrators, an umbrella organization of AFSA local unions representing principals and administrators in Connecticut. Additionally, he is principal of Mark Twain Elementary School in Hartford. He will take leave of these posts to devote his full-time attention to the AFSA presidency, and will reside in Washington, D.C. where AFSA is headquartered, as well as maintain his Windsor, Conn. residence.

"There is no greater honor than to be elected by my peers to perform work worth doing," President Atkinson said in his first address to AFSA members. "Our work is to ensure that every child in every public school across our nation -- of all economic and racial backgrounds -- receives the best possible education. As principals and administrators we are held accountable under the new federal education law, the No Child Left Behind act. As we face fiscal crises in our school districts, we know that in order to meet the lofty goals of this law -- goals we embrace and have always strived to achieve -- we need the resources to make it happen. We must lobby Congress and our local legislators to appropriate the proper amount of funding we need to truly leave no child behind. We must hold our legislators and the Bush administration accountable to 'show public schools the money.' I am humbled by your support and confidence in me as your president and I vow to do everything in my power to hold those in power accountable for the role they have in ensuring quality public school education."

His career as a principal, administrator, teacher, and union officer/member spans 34 years. He earned his bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina; his masters of science in educational administration from the University of Hartford; and his six year certification in administration and supervision from the University of Hartford. He completed coursework in collective bargaining at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland.

General Executive Board members are Vice Presidents of AFSA, and are also presidents or vice presidents of AFSA local unions across the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The complete slate of AFSA leadership elected and empowered on July 25, 2003 is:

National President:        Baxter M. Atkinson,
                           President of AFSA Local 22, Hartford, CT
National Executive
 Vice President:           Jill Levy,
                           President, AFSA Local 1, New York, NY

National Secretary:        Roch Girard,
                           President, AFSA Local 22, East Hartford, CT

National Treasurer:        Diann Woodard,
                           President, AFSA Local 28, Detroit, MI


National Vice Presidents:

Wendi Caporicci, President, Local 83, Oakland, CA
James Dierke, President, Local 3, San Francisco, CA
Jimmy Gittings, President, Local 25, Baltimore, MD (1)
Ernest Logan, E. Vice President, Local 1, NY, NY
Flora Odon-Flagg, President, Local 107, Milwaukee, WI
Anthony Palano, President, Local 10, Buffalo, NY
Leonard Pugliese, President, Local 20, Bloomfield, NJ
Dominic Sachetti, President, Local 6, Boston, MA
Carmen Sanchez, President, Local 2, Chicago, IL (1)
Charles Whelan, President, Local 8, Yonkers, NY
Florida Woods, President, Local 17, New Orleans, LA (1)
William Parker, Local 44, St. Louis, MO (1)

    (1) Indicates newly elected board member. All others were
        re-elected.

President Atkinson succeeds outgoing president Dr. Joe L. Greene, AFSA's longest running president of twelve years who announced he would not run for re-election when his term expired this month. The constitutional convention was held in Las Vegas, Nevada July 23-26, 2003.

Born and raised in Smithfield, North Carolina, he currently resides in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Diane, and is the father of adult sons Carleton and Christofer.

AFSA fights for quality public school education. For more than 25 years, AFSA has provided and continues to provide labor, legislative, professional, occupational, and leadership services to nearly 20,000 principals, assistant principals, administrators, and supervisors throughout the United States and U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, see www.admin.org.

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