Educators are problem-solvers.
Alison Cundiff grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Gwinnett County Public Schools, graduating in 2007 and going on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Georgia. After working a few years in the private sector, she went back for her Master of Arts in Teaching (specializing in Middle Grades) at Mercer University. She has lived in DeKalb County since 2016.
Alison is a veteran teacher and DeKalb resident.
Alison began teaching at Duluth Middle School in Gwinnett County in 2017 as a Special Education teacher. She transitioned to General Education, earning additional certification in teaching English As a Second Language and becoming department chair for 7th grade English Language Arts during the 2020-21 school year.
Alison cut her teeth by pushing for education staff’s access to vaccines.
The 2020-21 school year was a life-changing one. With other educators and community members, Alison organized a hybrid teach-in event in front of the Gold Dome, where teachers in different disciplines explained the impact of COVID on education to make the case that education staff needed early-option access to the COVID vaccine as part of the return to in-person school; education staff were soon moved up in the line by Governor Kemp.
Alison won Title I and SPED students’ equal access to transportation.
Following this success, Alison became increasingly involved in her local chapter of the Georgia Association of Educators, serving as Treasurer for her local and winning election at the state level as a Director of the Board representing the greater Atlanta Metro Area. When her district failed to provide adequate access to bus transportation for Duluth Middle students, leaving students (especially those with exceptional mobility needs) stranded at school as late as 6:30pm, she organized staff at Duluth Middle to demand and win additional buses.
Alison publicly held her Superintendent and Board of Education accountable…and got results!
When governance work is coalition-based, accountability becomes contagious. In 2024, Alison became local President of the Gwinnett chapter of GAE, where she has advocated tirelessly for responsible resource allocation, transparency in policymaking, the rights of children in self-contained Special Education classrooms, and a return to Georgia educational law. She called for removal of a Superintendent who split purchases of transparent backpacks before a survey could be conducted (meaning those purchases did not have to be disclosed to the Board of Education), and who did not enforce Board of Education policy regarding fair treatment of Kindergarten-5th grade educators (policy granting them one daily lunch and bathroom break), and who had his contract renewed early by lame-duck Board members just days after the horrific shooting at Apalachee High School. She repeatedly and publicly castigated Board of Education members who enabled those irresponsible practices. Fast forward to the present, and for the first time in its history, the Gwinnett County Public School system is in the process of establishing a formal Superintendent Evaluation protocol, and boasts a 3/5 majority who work with educators in the mutual goal of serving students.
Throughout her career, Alison has built strong coalitions between educators, community members, and representatives from different ideologies and walks of life because she believes firmly in one thing: Public Education is the bedrock of American democracy and the foundation of the American dream. She has the skill, the will, and the experience to advocate for all DeKalb students!
