“He doesn’t have children in school anymore, but he’s seen what’s been going on in the schools and decided he needed to do something.”
That was how Meg Rudnick, Moms for Liberty’s Georgia ambassador and Gwinnett County chapter chair, explained Dr. David McKalip’s decision to run for the District 3 seat on the Bartow County Board of Education.
McKalip said it’s because “our kids deserve to have a good education and our schools are failing at that.”
There isn’t a Bartow County chapter of Moms for Liberty (yet), so the Gwinnett County chapter stepped in to endorse McKalip’s candidacy.
McKalip not only ran, he won with over 60% of the vote against a Democrat during the nationwide blue tsunami midterms. To get there, McKalip had to make it through the primaries and a runoff election. He earned over 55% in the runoff vote, advancing to the general election.
Campaigning also came with attacks. “There was intense opposition within the school system and the community protecting the status quo,” reflected McKalip. “Personal attacks and total lies. But the more ugliness that came, the more support I got.”
The Bartow County School System (BCSS), about an hour north of Atlanta, serves about 14,000 students. Almost half of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, according to U.S. News & World Report. The publication reports that only 40% of high school students tested at or above the proficient level in reading and 27% did so in math. Yet the school system reported a four-year graduation rate of 94.7% for the class of 2026.
McKalip, a neurosurgeon who has practiced for nearly 30 years, has made literacy one of top priorities.
“Graduation rates are meaningless if they graduate and can’t read,” he stated when reflecting on the gap between graduation rates and proficiency rates.
McKalip is no stranger to local community advocacy. Before running for school board, he successfully led the effort to pass property tax relief in the county. According to his campaign, McKalip helped lead an effort that resulted in the district removing 80% of the books the group identified as obscene or inappropriate.
Throughout his campaign, McKalip spotlighted the disconnect between the school system asking for more tax money while enrollment was declining and academic outcomes were poor. He championed the belief that Bartow families can have better schools and lower taxes.
McKalip wants parents to be able to opt out of educational materials they find objectionable, including social and emotional learning and counseling. He also supports requiring parents to opt in to certain materials and give advance approval for student surveys and counseling.
“My goal is to motivate citizens in this largely Christian conservative community to engage with the school board regularly,” said McKalip.
McKalip’s victory offers Georgia conservatives a bright spot in the midterm results.
Georgia drew national attention as Democrats won Republican-held offices across the state, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state school superintendent and the commissioners of agriculture, insurance and labor.
Democrats also won control of the state House, while Republicans retained a narrow 29-27 majority in the state Senate. To conservative Georgians, the midterms could feel like scorched earth.
Meanwhile, McKalip and Bartow County are showing Georgia there is something to celebrate. “My team and another candidate went to IHOP,” he chuckled. The restaurant was their frequent meeting during the campaign. “We laughed, hugged, prayed, and ate.”
McKalip said that when he is sworn in this January, the five-person Bartow County Board of Education will have a three-member conservative-leaning majority.
“I feel hopeful,” said Rudnick about McKalip’s election results. “It’s great to see a candidate who believes in parental rights win.” She added, “We need more people who believe in their values to stand up.”
McKalip hopes a Moms for Liberty chapter will form in Bartow County. Until then he’s looking forward to a continued partnership with his neighboring county chapter and the national organization.
About the author:
Rosalind Hanson is Moms for Liberty’s Director of Development and Montgomery County, Maryland Chapter Chair. Her writing has been featured in The Daily Wire, The Washington Examiner, The Washington Stand, and The Washington Times. She’s been a TV guest on Fox, Newsmax, OAN, and local Washington D.C. radio and TV outlets.
