Three Republicans are vying for the District 2 seat on the Gwinnett County school board.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked the candidates for their responses to five questions. Two candidates, Dan Seckinger, 56, who’s been on the board since 1995, and Leon Hobbs, 68, who’s served as a superintendent in school systems in Alabama and Florida, replied. The newspaper did not get a response from Ileana McCaigue.
Here are their answers. Some were edited for brevity.
1) What is the biggest challenge facing the Gwinnett school system and how do you think it should be addressed?
LH: Academic preparedness of all of our students to enter the workforce and/or postsecondary studies without the need for remediation is the paramount challenge facing our school district. Addressing this issue can be implemented by conceptual “buy-in,” both philosophical and fiscal, by the school board and through holding the superintendent and his staff accountable to bring forward data analyses of each grade level and classes taught.
DS: It would be nearly impossible to narrow it down to one. But among our biggest challenges is continuing to attract and employ the best people. Education is a human endeavor, and at the end of the day – no program, idea, or amount of money can replace or transcend people.
2) What should the board do to improve test scores and graduation rates?
LH: Ensure that our human resources department recruits, hires and trains the best people in the job market, exert pressure to succeed and take all excuses off the wall, continue to galvanize long term partnerships with our business community wherein they assist us in developing curriculum and critiquing our graduates’ proficiencies and preparedness to enter the workforce, a line of succession plan for top administrators and make lower pupil-teacher ratios in grades K-3 a prime consideration for each year’s budget.
DS: Test scores in Gwinnett have always been well ahead of the state and national averages, and that’s good. But we can do better. School exists for the purpose of teaching and learning. There are many things that compete for our attention — but as long as we keep the focus on teaching and learning — we’ll continue to improve and we’ll remain on the right path.
3) What are your thoughts about Common Core?
LH: I am not in favor of its implementation … Our curriculum could be developed by our own personnel if we have our 12th Grade teachers state what skills their incoming students need in each subject area and then let each grade level inform the one directly underneath it.
DS: The idea of having common standards so kids can move from one place to another and have some semblance of order and “commonness” is a worthy endeavor, so long as any standard is the floor and not the ceiling … the ability for local Board’s of Education to have the final say for their community is important, as is having a Board of Education with the wisdom and backbone to do the right thing.
4) Gwinnett’s property tax wealth per student is now 101st of the state’s 180 districts. What should be done to ensure students, particularly in low-income areas, receive the financial support they need to achieve academically?
LH: (As a superintendent) I placed into the district’s annual budget a line item (Economic Indicator Adjustment) for every school that allocated more money for each student on free or reduced lunch enrolled in that school. This money was placed into an account to help facilitate their learning needs and was reported back to me for my review. I will consider this action for early discussion when I am elected.
DS: We must focus on having the best teachers and staff; and keep the main thing the main thing – which is teaching and learning. Having the right people doing the right things (including the Board of Education) in a supportive community with incredible kids — that’s what works, and that’s what we have in Gwinnett.
5) Virtually all votes on the school board in Gwinnett are unanimous. Is that a concern?
LH: A dissenting opinion does not mean that the board member is not a “team player,” but rather feels convicted to stand true to his beliefs. I will, when elected, give due diligence to every board agenda item and will vote for those items which will move forward our academic achievement for all students.
DS: Our board is not unanimous by any stretch of the imagination. But, unlike some others, we will not play out our disagreements in the media … We work out our differences so that we can be united in governance. Anything less would be selfish and inconsistent with the great community we represent.
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