Beth Farokhi, Democratic Candidate for Georgia State School Superintendent
PAAIA Government Affairs Office
June 30, 2010, Atlanta, GA – Beth Farokhi’s family has long exemplified a commitment to the community and public service. Her husband Dr. N.R. Farokhi who was amongst the first wave of Iranian immigrants in Atlanta in the 1960s, has long been active in building a cohesive support system for Iranian Americans in Georgia. Her son Amir Farokhi is a recognized civic leader who serves as a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and was recently a candidate for the Atlanta City Council. So it should come as no surprise to see Beth Farokhi’s name listed as a Democratic candidate for State School Superintendent in Georgia.
A native of Augusta Georgia, Farokhi has more than 30 years experience as an educator. She double majored in Elementary Education and Health and Physical Education at LaGrange College, received an M.A. from Emory University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Georgia.
Farokhi began her career in education as a public school teacher in Cobb County Georgia. She served on county wide committees for curriculum, textbook selection, mathematics curriculum objectives, and was appointed by the superintendent to revamp the non-graded curriculum and reporting system for grades 1-12. Following the completion of her doctorate work, Farokhi began a career as an administrator in the College of Education at Georgia State University where she has been honored for exemplary long-time service and dedication to the college.
Farokhi kicked off her campaign for State School Superintendent in July of 2009. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the state and spoken with Georgians from all walks of life that want to improve our schools,” Farokhi informed PAAIA. “Our state needs a strong, quality education system focused on learning for every child.”
As the superintendent, Farokhi would have executive oversight and administration rights within the educational system in the state of Georgia. She seeks to turn Georgia’s schools into the best in the nation, vowing to spend every working hour fighting for the resources and teachers necessary to meet her goal. Issues that her campaign has emphasized include implementing measures to better assess how students are performing, improving the math curriculum, and incorporating language instruction as a part of the curriculum starting in Pre-Kindergarten and continuing through the 12th grade. “Language instruction is vital to the development and understanding of a people,” Farokhi explains. “As the world shrinks through technology and travel, language boundaries are loosened and the need to communicate effectively becomes critical for a more civilized world.”
Farokhi faces fellow Democrats Joe Martin and Brian Westlake in the July 20th Democratic primary. The candidate that garners 50% plus one will face the Republican nominee in the general election.
Farokhi’s campaign has been endorsed by 14 key Democrats in the Georgia General Assembly including, House Minority Whip Carolyn Hugley, Representative Bob Bryant and Senator Hardie Davis. “I am delighted and honored to have so many distinguished members of the Democratic Legislative Caucus supporting my candidacy in the upcoming primary,” Farokhi explained in a June 3rd press release. “They represent a broad and diverse base of support, including Georgia’s largest cities, our suburbs, small towns and most rural areas from all areas of the state.”
Click here to learn more about Beth Farokhi’s campaign.
