Who won seats on Muscogee County School Board in 2022 election? Results are here
Five of the nine seats on the Muscogee County School District board were up for election Tuesday.
Incumbents ran for re-election in the board’s lone at-large seat as well as Districts 2, 4 and 6. The District 8 seat was the only position guaranteed to have a new representative.
Here are the final unofficial results from the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration. The elections board is scheduled to meet May 31 to vote on certifying the results. The winners are elected to four-year terms, which will start Jan. 1.
At-large
Kia Chambers, the incumbent, won her third term on the board as no challenger was on the ballot.
Chambers is a former teacher, now working as managing broker for Prestige Property Brokers.
“I am extremely humbled and excited to be elected to serve the citizens of Columbus, citywide for four more years,” Chambers told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email.
Asked what priority she wants MCSD to focus on and how it should improve during the next four years, Chambers said, “I will continue to push for excellence in education for all students, fiscal responsibility and accountability. Furthermore, I plan to become more engaged in the overall strategic plan for the school district. It is my goal to work hard in collaboration with the other board members to develop a stellar school district that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the students for generations to come.”
District 2
Nickie Tillery, the incumbent, defeated challenger Sadiyah Abdullah by winning 78% of the votes, 4,191-1,182, with 35% of the district’s 16,828 registered voters casting ballots in the race.
Tillery is a human resources and compliance specialist for road construction contractor J.A. Long. She joined the board last year after winning the special election in June to fill the remainder of Mike Edmondson’s term. Edmondson, a retired teacher, died in February 2021 at 66. He had been battling cancer.
Abdullah, former MCSD prekindergarten director and former Lonnie Jackson Academy principal, now is an academic coach at Georgetown Elementary School. She would have had to resign from MCSD to become a board member.
In an email Wednesday to the Ledger-Enquirer, Tillery said she is “humbled and honored” to be elected again.
“I look forward to working with the families, students, educators and administration to continue to push our students towards a successful future,” she said. “Thank you to all who voted, volunteered, donated, waved and prayed for me during this election time.”
Asked what priority she wants MCSD to focus on and how it should improve during the next four years, Tillery said, “We need to meet the students where they are currently and not compare them to where they should be before COVID. Set small goals so they improve self-esteem, and then reward progress. After they start believing in themselves again, the tasks can get more advanced.”
Tillery also called for more support of students, teachers and administrators.
“They are tired, worn out and have been more creative than ever before,” she said. “We need to let them exhale for a minute. As a board and community, we need to really listen to the students, teachers and administrators and value what they are saying. Education has changed, whether we like it or not, and they are on the front lines. Remember, we are all on the same team. When the children succeed, we all win. Let’s act like a team.”
District 4
Naomi Buckner, the incumbent, won her sixth term on the board while no challenger ran against her.. She retired in 2019 as a special-education teacher in Chattahoochee County.
“I am elated to be re-elected and honored and grateful to the people in District 4 for their confidence in allowing me to run unopposed,” Buckner told the L-E in an email Wednesday. “I do not take their confidence lightly and plan to continue my hard work in ensuring that the Muscogee County School District is a premier district, where students are prepared socially and academically each year to meet grade level standards and ultimately to receive diplomas that make them eligible to choose from many options: college, technical schools, military, work force, entrepreneurship, and home making.”
Asked what priority she wants MCSD to focus on and how it should improve during the next four years, Buckner said, “It is important for the MCSD to complete the projects identified in the SPLOST in a timely manner. Due to inflation, some projects may have to be delayed. The projected cost of projects have increased considerably, so we must be even more fiscally responsible. . . . And I like to take every opportunity to thank the people in our city for their show of confidence in voting for the SPLOST. Without you, many of our projects would not be possible.”
Buckner also emphasized the need to improve student achievement.
“During the pandemic, learning was significantly impacted,” she said. :”Many students experienced learning loss and were impacted socially and behaviorally. As a board member, I will listen carefully and provide input to the superintendent’s response to this problem and his recommendations, whether for summer programs and/or initiatives throughout the year. As board member, I will, along with the other eight board members, make sure that resources are available to implement the program and initiatives, as well as resources for the standard academic program.”
District 6
Mark Cantrell, the incumbent, defeated challenger Zebulon Harris by winning 79% of the votes, 3,756-1,027, with 31% of the district’s 16,601 registered voters casting ballots in the race.
Cantrell is CEO of Action Buildings. Harris is a supervisor at Aflac.
Wednesday, after being elected to his fourth term on the board, Cantrell told the Ledger-Enquirer, “It’s a blessing first of all. I just appreciate the voters’ support, the citizens of Columbus, Georgia.”
Asked what priority he wants MCSD to focus on and how it should improve during the next four years, Cantrell said, “It’s always teamwork with the board. Every month, it’s a different situation as far as what’s coming up. But keep improving the children’s scores, having a higher graduation rate and just making sure schools are ran as good as they can be. As you saw with the tragedy yesterday (the mass shooting at a Texas school), making sure safety also is out there. . . . I think we’re right on key with all these things.”
District 8
District 8 representative Philip Schley, a retired urologist, didn’t seek re-election in his third stint on the board. That’s because, he told the Ledger-Enquirer, he accomplished what he set out to do in 2018: defeat lawyer Frank Myers.
Including two previous stints (1972-81 and 1998-2010), Schley will have served on the board for 25 years when he departs after this year. But a Schley still won on this ballot in the form of his daughter, Margot Schley, a yoga instructor and former director of newcomer services in the community development department at Synovus.
Sarah Smith, a real estate agent, was the other candidate.
Schley defeated Smith by winning 58% of the votes, 1,823-1,311, with 26% of the district’s 13,732 registered voters casting ballots in the race.
“I am excited to be joining the MCSD board,” Schley told the L-E in an email.
Asked what priority she wants MCSD to focus on and how it should improve during the next four years, Schley said, “As this is my first election, I realize I have a lot to learn and look forward to getting to work.”
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 12:36 AM.
