A Full-Circle Experience in Education

Long before he was a student in the Ed School’s Online Master’s in Educational Leadership (OEL) Program, James Austin III was a student with high motivation — both intrinsic and extrinsic. 

“My aunts worked in the cafeteria as school nutrition cooks, my uncles drove the school bus. I had aunts who worked in the library,” he says. “I grew up witnessing people work in the school system. I didn’t have an opportunity to hide at school because I had family always watching.” 

This was true at home in Americus, Georgia, on the same plot of land his great-grandfather had amassed. 

“Growing up, every neighbor was a family member. When I came home from school, they could open their doors, step outside, and elevate their voices across the field,” he says. “So, I knew I had to do the right thing.” 

At Morehouse, he studied finance and taught financial literacy through a nonprofit he founded, Grand Achiever Protege of America. “I knew if finance was taught properly, there could be equitable solutions in various communities.” He was inspired by his grandfather, a steady foundation for him, and by his great-grandfather, who he never met. 

“My great-grandfather stopped going to school in eighth grade, but he was the wealthiest in the family,” Austin says. “As a sharecropper, he amassed 350 acres, and the land has been passed down generation to generation. He was such a giant of a man that he hid Black families when lynch mobs came through that part of Georgia. Now I’m taking the stories, the unsung heroes, and bringing their voices to be lived out.” 

Austin was the first in his family to graduate college. His former elementary and middle school principal asked his mom about his post-collegiate plans and then helped him secure his first full-time job as the CFO for the Macon County School District. “I was good in school because I had to be — and it paid dividends,” he says. “She introduced me to the first superintendent I worked for. She said, ‘This young man needs a job. I don’t know his skills, but I do know his character. And I know you can train him.’” 

That role eventually led him to his current position as assistant superintendent of finance and operations at Twiggs County Public Schools in Georgia, a role that encompasses a range of responsibilities, from overseeing transportation and nutrition services to innovation in direct response to its families’ needs. 

“The unfortunate thing about our location is that we are in a food desert and a healthcare desert,” he says. Recently, “we were ranked 159th out of 159 Georgia counties for health outcomes.” 

The pandemic also highlighted the challenge of chronic absenteeism in the district, so the district started brainstorming. One issue was geography. Located in the center of Georgia, the county is near major cities, but most families and employees live 30–45 minutes away from school. Due to the distance, Austin says, “If little Johnny is sick and has a doctor’s appointment in the morning, it is very unlikely for him to return to school.” 

So last year, the district opened a wellness center to support students and families. Parents sign a telemedicine consent form. Students are bussed to the center, where they receive dental, general medical, and mental health services. Parents can join virtually so they don’t have to choose between leaving work or attending the appointment. 

Austin says, “I’m proud to work in and be from a smaller community, because I see the district from every angle.” With OEL classmates, he also values the chance to share what he’s learned about chronic absenteeism and wraparound services. After graduation, he’ll continue working in Twiggs County Public Schools and sharing stories of unsung heroes like his grandfather and great-grandfather. 

“I want to be that voice, that face, of rural, underserved, and unheard communities,” he says. “Bring them to the table and allow them to shout as loud as they can. I want to say, ‘We are just as important.’”

Sarah Garfinkel, Ed.M.'20, is a writer based in San Francisco and an Ed School teaching fellow