Our Schools. Our Taxes. Our City.
ABOUT ME
My wife, Akshata, and I have called Atlanta home since 2006 and have raised our two children in this beautiful city. Sanjana graduated from North Atlanta High, and Arihan is a rising 9th grader, having graduated middle school at Sutton. They both attended E. Rivers Elementary and it was there that I started getting actively involved with our school system.
For me, being present matters.
As an active PTA dad, I have served in various roles at schools in the North Atlanta cluster. As Treasurer at E. Rivers Elementary and at Sutton Middle School, I have balanced budgets, supported school operations and worked hard to meet the needs of our teachers and the community.
I have spent a big part of my life as a leader, working for a local non-profit organization, and as a successful businessman in our community. I have built teams, made tough decisions and have always been fiscally responsible. Having run a business through the ‘Great Recession’, I have learned some invaluable lessons on how to run an organization efficiently, and I pride myself in finding sensible long-term solutions to very complex problems.
I have also served as President of the Board and am currently the Treasurer of my HOA, where I lead with transparency, integrity, boldness and a deep commitment to my neighbors.
Our Schools. Our Taxes. Our City.
These are what I stand for. These belong to us. These belong to you and me. And together, we MUST and we WILL protect them — and strengthen them.
As your elected APS Board Member, I promise to lead with the same values I live by: integrity, transparency, boldness, honesty, hard work, and, most importantly, common sense.
MY MISSION
OUR SCHOOLS
I envision an APS where leadership is accountable, decisions are transparent, and outcomes reflect the brilliance of our students and educators. I believe in putting community first—listening to families, partnering with teachers, empowering our administrators and ensuring that every child can read, grow, and succeed. Our current proficiency rates are shocking with only 3 out of 10 children meeting their grade-level expectation. We cannot continue to let our children down! By strengthening oversight and investing in literacy, I aim to help APS and our kids meet their potential and become a model for what’s possible in public education.
And, with my child currently in APS, I have the will, a purpose and a solid resolve to make this happen.
OUR TAXES.
Our taxes fund APS and APS, today, faces some serious financial challenges. This impacts us all, and I have the skills and real-world experience to address this. Our budget has increased from $650 Million in 2015 to $1.85 Billion this fiscal year - that's almost triple in 10 years! Our property taxes go towards funding a big portion of this. In this same time period, our enrollment has tapered and our student literacy and proficiency rates have not shown any corresponding benefit from this increase in spending. Raising our property taxes and throwing more money into our school system, without holding our administrators accountable or seeing any exceptional improvement in our student outcomes for the huge amounts being spent and paid in taxes, is NOT the solution.
I will provide the financial stewardship that APS desperately needs and will do it with transparency to make sure every dollar we pay in taxes is being spent prudently to meet the needs of our students and our schools and provide the results they deserve.
OUR CITY.
Better schools make better communities. They enhance neighborhoods, drive economic growth, enrich the lives of our children and the communities they serve. They increase productivity, innovation, and drive higher incomes for individuals and families.
Schools are also powerful institutions to equip individuals with the tools to overcome socioeconomic challenges and provide them with opportunities for growth.
By investing in education, communities can empower individuals to improve their lives and create a more prosperous future for themselves and their families. Better communities promote better education and better schools, thus forming a symbiotic relationship that prospers each other.
I have been and will continue to be deeply invested in bettering our schools, and thus elevating our community and our city.
