Candidates for school board differ on role of panel at forum

Some candidates for the Muscogee County School Board almost locked horns over the role of the elected board during a forum at the Columbus Public Library Tuesday afternoon.

More than 60 residents turned out for the forum sponsored by the Muscogee County Democratic Party to answer questions about education. Voters will go to the polls on May 24 to elect candidates in the local races.

At the forum were former educators JoAnn Thomas-Brown and Al Stewart challenging Pat Hugley Green, the incumbent, in District 1, Athavia “AJ” Senior and Vanessa Jackson in District 3, attorneys Robert Wadkins Jr., and Laurie Cochran McRae and former Ranger Todd Robinson in District 5. Candidate Pete Taylor was absent. In District 7, former board chair Cathy Williams and board member Norene Marvets are joined by newcomer Sheila D. Williams in a battle for the seat.

Cathy Williams shot back at Robinson after his comments about the role of the school board from the moderator. Robinson said the board’s role is to seek out and find an individual so qualified that the person would take local schools off the failing list in making the school system second to none. “Everything else comes after that,” said Robinson, who taught more than eight years in the Stewart County School District. “When we find that person and we interview that person, we are held accountable cause we hired him. Then when that person is hired, we set the parameters and expectations of that superintendent. That is our job.”

When it was her turn to answer the same question, Cathy Williams said she wasn’t going to focus on the role of a school board but would tell the voters what the role of a school board is not.

Standing up from her seat on the corner of the stage, she walked around to the front of Robinson’s seat and noted the role of the board is not to micro manage or bully and harass. “It is not to bully and harass the administration and not to tear down the school or our superintendent, not to do anything ever that is not in the best interest or our schools, our children and the district,” she said staring at the candidate. “With all due respect sir, we do have that superintendent.”

In her opening statement, Cathy Williams said she thought her days on the school board were over until she looked at some actions of two current board members but didn’t call their names.

“ I looked around and saw the negative that was coming from a couple of board members and I said you know this isn’t right,” she said. “This isn’t fair for this district that worked so hard to lift up our children and improve our schools.”

Jackson said she was asked about sides on the school board right after she qualified on March 9. “We need to come together and be one board,” she said. “When I qualified to run for District 3 the first question I was asked was which team am I going to be on. Team, I said to myself, it’s one board, it’s one team. We as a board have to come together and educate our kids.”

Jackson is director at the Childcare Network, the fourth largest center in the country. “For more than 20 years of my profession, I worked to enrich and change the lives of children in the Muscogee County District,” she said. “I believe as a community that we must do all that we can to ensure that all kids are ready for life’s challenges.”

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 9:51 PM with the headline "Candidates for school board differ on role of panel at forum."