Joy Tellis had spent much of the interview speaking confidently about budgets, board responsibilities and the difficult decisions that come with governing a school district serving tens of thousands of children.
Then she was asked to name the best part of being a Clayton County Board of Education member.
“Seeing the kids walk across the stage,” Tellis answered.
Her voice began to break.
Graduation is the moment when years of policies, financial decisions and educational initiatives become something visible. Tellis sees the students’ smiles. She sees the pride on their parents’ faces. Most importantly, she sees evidence that the district’s work has helped another child reach an important milestone.
“You actually see it in real time,” she said.
That emotional moment revealed the central theme Tellis returned to throughout her conversation with We Are Clayton Magazine: She believes the position belongs to the community’s children—not to the person holding the title.
“The title is the title,” she said. “I’m here for the kids.”
Her Work Began Before the School Board
Tellis has lived in Clayton County for more than 20 years, and her daughter graduated from Clayton County Public Schools. Her involvement in the district began long before her name appeared on a ballot.
As a parent, she participated in the PTA, served as president of a school council and regularly attended school board meetings. She described herself as a “helicopter mom” who wanted to be present for everything—from her daughter’s academic life to homecoming, swimming and the many other activities her daughter tried.
Tellis was also one of a small group of parents selected to participate in a community committee during Clayton County Public Schools’ accreditation struggles. The committee brought parents and community members together to review objectives and discuss the district’s efforts over several weeks.
Although Tellis acknowledged that the accreditation period is not something many people enjoy revisiting, the experience gave her an inside view of the district during one of the most consequential periods in its history.
“I have really been in this community working way before I even thought of the school board,” Tellis said. “If I could help, I wanted to help. If I could make a difference at the level I was at, I wanted to make a difference.”
Tellis also brought a financial background to that service. She earned an accounting degree from Clark Atlanta University and later received her Master of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University.
Completing her education was not easy. Tellis was raising her daughter while working toward her undergraduate degree, an experience that helped shape her understanding of the challenges many Clayton
County families face.
Running for office was not initially part of her plan. As Tellis continued working throughout the community, however, she began recognizing needs that could not be addressed through individual acts of service alone. A seat on the Board of Education offered an opportunity to influence policy, oversee public funds and serve students on a much larger scale.
“I knew that my next step was the school board,” she said.
Now serving her second term as the representative for District 8, Tellis views her reelection—despite facing opposition—as an affirmation from the voters she represents.
“I thank District 8,” she said.
A Legacy of Leadership and Mentorship
Tellis credits the late Sonna Singleton Gregory, a former Clayton County District 1 commissioner and vice chairwoman, with helping shape her development as a community leader.
Gregory served on the Clayton County Board of Commissioners from January 2007 until her death on May 27, 2021. During more than 14 years in office, she became known for her advocacy for children, senior citizens, education and community development. She helped lead the creation of the Clayton County Youth Commission, which introduced young people to local government, public policy and civic participation.
Gregory also supported business development, job creation and numerous SPLOST-funded projects, including improvements to parks, recreation centers, roads and senior facilities. The Northeast Senior Center in Ellenwood was later renamed the Sonna Singleton Gregory Senior Center in recognition of her service.
For Tellis, however, Gregory’s influence was also deeply personal.
“Sonna was one of those servant leaders where she pulled you in,” Tellis recalled. “She wanted you to be involved.”
Gregory placed Tellis on several projects and committees, including a community-development initiative along the Moreland Avenue and Highway 42 corridor. Tellis believes Gregory recognized her leadership potential before she fully recognized it herself.
“She saw it. She fostered it,” Tellis said. “She knew that one day it would be.”
Gregory’s example taught Tellis that leadership should extend beyond completing projects or holding office. It should also prepare other people to serve.
“Those are the type of leaders that I’m looking for, and that is the type of leader I want to be,” Tellis said. “I want to pour into the next generation. That’s something that Sonna did. Sonna poured into the next generation.”
That commitment remains part of Gregory’s public legacy. Clayton County now observes January 7, her birthday, as Sonna Singleton Gregory Day—honoring a leader whose influence continues through the people she encouraged to step forward.
Understanding the Board’s Role
Tellis was especially deliberate when explaining the legal and practical limits of a school board member’s authority.
The Board of Education does not manage the district’s daily operations, she emphasized. Those responsibilities belong to the superintendent.
“As a board member, my responsibility is governance,” Tellis said, identifying policy, finances and student achievement as primary areas of responsibility. “The day-to-day operations do not lie with any one board member.”
The distinction is particularly important as Clayton County continues operating under interim leadership.
The superintendent is the board’s only direct employee, Tellis explained. That makes selecting and supervising the right person one of the board’s most consequential responsibilities.
Asked what she wants in a permanent superintendent, Tellis described someone who is compassionate, attentive and centered on student achievement. She wants a leader willing to listen to students, teachers, staff members and principals—not someone who becomes disconnected from the people working inside the schools.
“You definitely need someone who’s willing to listen,” she said. “I definitely want to see someone who’s going to be involved in the different schools.”
Tellis Supports Dr. Douglas Hendrix
When the conversation turned to Interim Superintendent Dr. Douglas Hendrix, Tellis did not avoid the question.
“Yes, I support Dr. Hendrix being appointed to that position,” she said, making clear that she was expressing her personal position.
Tellis said Hendrix’s performance during his interim tenure has impressed her, particularly his use of a detailed 30-, 60- and 90-day plan.
According to Tellis, Hendrix did more than present the board with a list of intentions. At each stage, he returned with documentation—or “artifacts”—showing what his administration had accomplished.
“You told us exactly what you were going to do, and did it,” she said.
That level of preparation and follow-through stood out to Tellis because Hendrix developed and executed the plan while serving in an interim capacity.
Her support adds an important voice to the continuing community discussion over whether the Board of Education should conduct a broader superintendent search or appoint the leader already performing the job.
The Weight of a $1.38 Billion Budget
Tellis acknowledged that school board service also requires decisions that may be unpopular or painful.
She said the district has an overall budget of approximately $1.38 billion, with about $750 million in the operational portion used for salaries, utilities and other general expenses. Other funding sources, including education SPLOST revenue, are restricted to designated purposes such as construction and capital improvements.
The distinctions between those funding “buckets” matter. A district can build or renovate a school with SPLOST revenue but cannot automatically redirect that same money toward employee salaries or other operating expenses.
Tellis said some of the board’s most difficult decisions involve programs or positions originally supported by temporary grants. When that funding expires, board members must decide whether the district can afford to continue those commitments.
“There have been some things where we have had to go back and say, ‘Can we afford this?’” she said.
Those choices can directly affect employees and students. Tellis said the board must consider the district’s long-term financial health while attempting to minimize the effect on classrooms.
She also acknowledged concerns about employee compensation, saying there is “always room for improvement.” Tellis referenced conversations about a compensation review and pointed to bonuses, professional training and other initiatives intended to support employees.
Still, she recognized the limits of non-monetary benefits.
“Everybody wants money,” she said.
Tellis also praised voters for repeatedly supporting the education SPLOST, saying the one-cent sales tax has helped produce facilities such as Morrow, Jonesboro, Lovejoy and Forest Park high schools.
“You actually get to see the works of what your money has been put into,” she said.
Transparency Within Legal Boundaries
Tellis said transparency has been one of her commitments since joining the board, but she also acknowledged that state law, personnel matters and other confidentiality requirements can limit what a board member is permitted to discuss publicly.
“My goal has always been to be transparent with the parents and with the community,” Tellis said. “Things that I can say, I say. Those things that I can’t, I just don’t.”
She stressed that being unable to discuss a particular matter does not necessarily mean a board member is withholding information from the public without cause.
“It’s not that I’m not being transparent,” she said. “I maybe just can’t talk about that.”
But when it comes to her priorities for students, Tellis said there is no ambiguity.
“You are the one that came in and voted for me to make the right decisions for your babies,” she said. “And that’s a topic worth talking about.”
Staying Accessible to District 8
Tellis said she maintains an advisory council that invites parents, students, teachers, staff members and other community stakeholders to participate and share their concerns.
She also described herself as accessible to the residents she represents. Parents and community members contact her through email and by phone, and some have her personal number.
“If you want to get me, you can get me,” she said. “Especially if it’s about your babies. Call me.”
Her repeated emphasis on children does not mean parents are excluded from the process, Tellis explained. Instead, she views parents as the people who have entrusted her to help protect their children’s educational interests.
“I’ve got to take care of your babies,” she said. “I’ve got to make sure your babies are okay.”
Leadership Without Monopoly
The board elects its chair through a majority vote of its members. Tellis said she would like Clayton County to consider a more rotational approach that gives different board members an opportunity to serve in leadership.
She pointed to a neighboring school district where members are given a chance to serve as chair if they are interested.
Tellis said rotating leadership could provide broader representation and help prevent any single person from dominating the process.
“There should never be one person that monopolizes the entire process,” she said.
When asked whether she would serve as chair if given the opportunity, Tellis did not make a declaration. Instead, she said the decision would have to align with her faith and sense of purpose.
A Call for Community Participation
Tellis believes responsibility for Clayton County’s children extends beyond the school board and superintendent. Parents, residents, business owners, educators, faith leaders and community organizations all have a role to play.
Her request to the community was simple: Stay involved.
She encouraged residents to attend board meetings, watch them online and become active partners in education.
“Our kids—our scholars—need partners in education,” she said.
Tellis was also emphatic that teachers and other educators deserve recognition for the work taking place in classrooms every day.
“They are the superstars,” she said. “They are the VIPs.”
She closed the conversation by expanding the meaning of student success. Children can struggle academically, she said, but they can also struggle socially, physically and mentally. Supporting them requires adults to set aside personal agendas and work collectively.
“At the end of the day, nothing matters if our kids are failing,” Tellis said. “Let’s just all stay together, work together—not for us, not our agendas, but for our babies.”
For Tellis, the board seat is neither a prize nor a source of personal power. It is a temporary position of trust granted by voters.
“All it is,” she said, “is that your parents—your voters—have entrusted you to do the right thing for their kids.”