Q&A: The race for Clayton County School Board: A system in recovery

3. How will you work with other board members to address the issues raised in the SACS report, including board member abuse of power and micromanagement?

4. Schools across metro Atlanta will continue to have budget problems for years to come. What are some ways Clayton can cut costs without reducing the quality of education for students?

Note: District 4 candidate Michael King did not participate. On ajc.com: Go to the AJC Get Schooled blog for more comments from the candidates, blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog.

Regain accreditation without probation

Pamela G. Adamson

A Democrat, Adamson is a retired educator and candidate seeking re-election to District 1.

1. Public confidence and the district’s reputation must be regained based on consistent, ethical and transparent leadership from the superintendent and Board of Education and on quality educational opportunities. We must regain accreditation without probation and then continue to build a quality school system on that accomplishment. I have served on every system-level accreditation committee since I have been on the board and will continue to assist with the preparation of SACS reports. I will continue to share the many success stories in Clayton and will engage our parents and community.

2. Research shows that at-risk students can learn if provided appropriate support structures and effective teachers. Students must have quality instruction on challenging, relevant topics; they need regular review of concepts previously learned; and they must be introduced to vocabulary and basic concepts prior to the beginning of each instructional unit. All instruction must be continuously directed by student performance data.

3. I will continue to positively influence board actions and decisions by following Robert’s Rules of Order; by voting to enforce the policy that governs board member behavior, including abuse of power and micromanaging; and by voting based on my conscience. I will continue to separate myself from outside influences that try to exert authority over the board, and will support our superintendent’s efforts to form a cohesive governing body.

4. Reductions in expenditures must be made as far from the classroom as possible. Class size, access to instructional resources, and the length of the school year must be guarded. We must examine our central office services to determine if they are offered in the most economically sound way. All programs must be evaluated to see if they are producing the desired results, and if not, we must eliminate or revise them. We must study other school districts for strategies that are working.

Private partnerships can help raise funds

Charlton L. Bivins

A Democrat, Bivins is a lieutenant in the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the incumbent candidate for District 9.

1. Our efforts to remove the probationary status are still under way. This will absolutely give us the image boost that is needed. I, as a board member, will do all the things that will reflect me as having good boardsmanship, such as continue ethical behavior and decisions, continue seeking district knowledge concerning student achievement, continue being transparent and open in the financial decisions affecting the district, continue being a consensus builder, and continue holding the superintendent accountable for the success of the district. I personally am willing and have a desire to bring about change and notoriety for this district through whatever programs, initiatives or events that will benefit the academic progress of our children and district.

2. We need to continue identifying at-risk students through our social services units. Our “needs improvement” status in many schools creates a venue for tutoring and additional instruction. An effort to get educational buy-ins is also important with parents. Parental workshops, mentoring both parents and children, are exceptional methods of reaching students and improving their performance.

3. I have a personality or demeanor of being congenial, being a team player, easy-going, passionate, and being honest as I put the energy in its proper place and being a “true” advocate for the children of this district. These qualities assist my efforts during tumultuous debates and/or conflict.

4. I am committed to raising or creating vehicles to raise more funds; I am for private partnerships and creating relationships with philanthropists and endowments that can contribute to our district. I believe in leaning on the community to assist during these economically challenging times. I believe in leaning on the federal government and state legislators for creative funding. This school district has been rich in resources for years so that “trimming away the fat” has taken us down to the norm for other districts.

Restore pride and trust in our schools

R. Jermaine Coleman

A Democrat, Coleman is chairman of the National Education Association Student Program and candidate for District 4.

1. My entire campaign has been about restoring the pride, and progressing for a better Clayton County. The first thing we have to do as a board is restore full accreditation in the upcoming review period. This will begin the slow healing process from the citizens when it comes to trusting the leadership again. The next step is to excel beyond getting accreditation and look for innovation in our school system. It is time for Clayton County schools to take the driver’s seat in our students’ future.

2. Too often we tie financial ability to academic capability. While I am well aware that outside factors such as struggles at home can affect a child’s performance, this does not necessarily have to be true. We have to work diligently to do our part in Clayton County, to remove the stigma that a poor child cannot perform well in school. It is time we think as a community again. No one has accomplished a great transition without a group effort. In addition, I will develop instruction that teaches values like respect and responsibility, and expand opportunities for kids to work with adult role models in after-school education and recreation programs. School nutrition is vitally important in fostering a healthy and positive learning environment for children to achieve their full potential.

3. Other board members and I will have to come to a consensus on how to work together as a team. A delicate balance must be achieved. My years of working on leadership teams have prepared me for this. The priority is to maintain order on the board while keeping the county’s efficiency high.

4. We must take proactive steps to manage the loss of state and local funding without creating additional anxiety during the school year. We have to make difficult decisions. However, we must support education and teaching in this economic environment; therefore our highest priority has to be ensuring our ability to support students and sustain our schools over the long term.

Public wants board to be transparent

The Rev. Richard F. Jones

A Democrat, Jones is a former auditor and now a minister and candidate for District 1.

1. We must analyze the causes, be honest with the public on what is wrong and change those things that need to be changed. I believe parents, teachers, students and all in the community are ready for our leaders to be transparent about the challenges. I will be willing to survey the public that puts me in office, at least on serious issues, to gain their confidence that we are in this together for the good of the community, and then give them feedback. When we move past working on our own agendas and instead work diligently on the agenda of what is best for the children, we can restore public confidence.

2. Although some of our lower-income families may have financial and academic struggles, the school system should be able to refer those families with financial shortfalls to assistance from the state and federal government. We should also have resources for tutoring and other innovative ideas that will make all of our students elite scholars.

3. I am a people person who will apply diplomacy, tact and common-sense skills garnered as a community leader/volunteer and as supervisor for the Georgia Department of Labor to help defuse the contentiousness that remains on the board. When we remember to keep our efforts focused on what’s best for our students, board members will not have time to abuse power or micromanage the school system. We must provide leadership and policies that are very clear so that the superintendent can operate the school system well.

4. We should look at all options and not dismiss any idea until it is thoroughly investigated. Resources and school system employees that work directly with our children should be the last to be cut in any budget shortfall. Some suggested ideas might be: Supporting community events and public fund-raisers; researching and applying for endowments, grants and other creative financing to help fill in the financial gap; and receiving training on how to do more with less.

Explore technology to reduce school costs

Grandvial H. Quick

A Democrat, Quick is an instructor in the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and candidate for District 9.

1. To help the board restore public confidence I will continue to work to complete the process of gaining complete accreditation. Once this is done I will work with the superintendent and the Chamber of Commerce to actively recruit new businesses to the county. Additionally, I will have quarterly meetings with the constituency to keep them informed of the outstanding achievements of our students and teachers in the district.

2. Because students are on free and reduced lunch, the federal government provides funds through the state every year for the district. I will work with the superintendent and his staff to find programs that use these dollars to assist students who need remediation. I’ll also work to develop parent centers where our parents can go to get assistance in understanding everything from computer literacy to understanding their child’s curriculum. If we empower the families, they will be able to help their children at home and reinforce what the teachers are doing in the classroom.

3. To eliminate the concerns of SACS, every board member must understand the clear lines of authority and be willing to listen rather than challenge and question the leadership. I will research and determine best practices of other successful school boards and help apply those practices for the benefit of our Clayton County students.

4. As we move forward with limited resources, I believe that we must embrace technology. By doing a top-to-bottom review of processes, emerging technology may allow the district to reduce administrative staffing and overhead in our non-essential services that do not directly impact students. Additionally, the centralization of some functions may also assist in savings as well.

Measure and publicize our success stories

James R. Searcy

A Democrat, Searcy is a Realtor and candidate for District 9.

1. I will carefully study the current process that the board is using to overcome cited discrepancies and will also examine the pace at which goals are being achieved. I’ll work closely with the board to help ensure we’re united in our efforts to fully recover our accreditation (without conditions). Restoring public confidence will take time, but we can get there by identifying how we can better improve the board’s image and actively pursuing a path to make it happen. We should widely and frequently market our successes to the stakeholders and the media.

2. With this added responsibility to accommodate Clayton’s free and reduced-cost lunch program for students, the district should continue this effort with a constant vigilance on the type and quality of foods being consumed. To help students perform at peak capacity, a viable partnership must be formed between students, parents and teachers. Being economically challenged doesn’t mean families should be stuck with unhealthy food options.

3. I will listen to how each board member perceives the issues and what they are doing to address it. I’ll listen carefully to learn whether there is a fully united front in recognizing the issues and willingness to resolve them or whether some hindrances might exist. I’ll recommend the school board provide a progress meter that is updated and publicly displayed as goals are achieved.

4. The Clayton system must look wide and deep into the current budget and continuously find ways to eliminate waste. A “Priority A” circle should be drawn around the classrooms and all who inhabit them (students and teachers), and critical resources directly supporting successful learning should remain in the budget. The county must protect teacher’s pay if it’s expected to attract quality teachers for our children. The top rungs of management and staff should first set the example before sacrificing pay for teachers. Grants should be studied and applied for at every opportunity.