Muscogee County School Board member to conduct second public forum

Kia Chambers, the nine-member Muscogee County School Board's lone citywide representative, will conduct her second public forum this week.

The "Connect with Kia" community conversation will be Thursday, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., in the Columbus Museum. Topics to be addressed, according to a news release, include:

The Georgia Milestones, which are the state's standardized tests.

Innovative ways to increase student literacy.

The benefits of dual enrollment, which allows high school students to take college courses and earn the credit.

"I was elected to represent all Muscogee County citizens on the school board," Chambers wrote in the release. "So, I want to hear from the citizens. I want to make sure I am aware of their concerns and I want to make sure they are aware what our school district is doing to give our students the best education possible."

Chambers joined the board in January after NeighborWorks Columbus president Cathy Williams didn't run for a third four-year term as the school board's at-large representative. Chambers, a real estate company owner and former teacher, became the first black candidate to win the seat when she prevailed in a three-way race May 20, 2014. She collected 52.55 percent (12,306) of the votes. Owen Ditchfield, a retired educator and former District 7 representative, finished second with 30.70 percent (7,189), and former NAACP Columbus chapter president and retired soldier Nate Sanderson finished third with 16.57 percent (3,880).

For more information, contact Chambers at 706-681-2034 or kiaforschoolboard@gmail.com.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Muscogee County School Board member to conduct second public forum ."