Q&A with Muscogee County School Board candidates in District 7 runoff

Editor’s note: The Ledger-Enquirer emailed six questions to the Muscogee County School Board candidates who are in the July 26 runoff elections. Early voting starts July 5. Here are the answers from the District 7 candidates. We published the answers from the District 1 candidates Sunday.

Cathy Williams and Shelia Williams face off in the July 26 runoff election to fill the seat of District 7 representative Shannon Smallman, who didn’t seek re-election. In the May 24 election, Cathy Williams received 46 percent of the vote, while Shelia Williams got about 33 percent. Former board member Norene Marvets received 21 percent.

Cathy Williams, a former board chairwoman, is president and chief executive officer of NeighborWorks Columbus. She is wife of Ledger-Enquirer senior reporter Chuck Williams.

Her opponent is political newcomer Shelia Williams, executive director of B&O Services, which is owned by District 1 candidate JoAnn Thomas-Brown.

Q. Why should the voters in your district choose you to represent them on the school board?

A. Cathy Williams: “I have a proven record of service to this community and our school board, and it is a record that I am proud of. I have worked in District 7, as a community developer and affordable housing producer, for almost 20 years. As a Spencer High School graduate, I have stood hard and fast for equity throughout the city and the school system. I have a track record of effective leadership to this community and I will continue that leadership if returned to the school board.”

Shelia Williams: “I have the same concerns that they have and it is these concerns that prompted me to get into the race. The concern about children having books to bring home is a real one. Our children do not have books to bring home. Why? If one school has books for children to bring home, then all of the schools should have books to bring home. I have also canvassed every street to visit each house and apartment, and the parents feel they don’t have a voice and that they are powerless to help their children because nothing will ever change.”

Q. What is the Muscogee County School District’s most significant strength and which factors make it such a strength?

A. Cathy Williams: “Our teachers and this administration are moving the district in the right direction. We are blessed to have some of the best teachers in the world, right here in Columbus. Passionate professionals who “leave it all on the field.” I am constantly amazed at the level of professionalism our teachers bring into their classrooms.”

Shelia Williams: “Although many of them feel as though they are not being heard, the citizens are willing to support the school board. The board has the power to embrace parents in a way that will increase parental involvement.”

Q. What is MCSD’s most significant weakness and how should it be improved?

A. Cathy Williams: “We have funding issues. Having gone through the worst recession of a lifetime we had to make some very difficult choices. We closed schools, shut down programs and laid some people off. Now, as we are seeing some recovery, we need to insure that we build in equity throughout the system. We need to continue to bring our teachers’ salaries up, while also rewarding all of our outstanding employees, in a fiscally responsible way.”

Shelia Williams: “Transparency. The cost of documents under the Freedom of Information Act is too expensive. This compromises transparency. There is a SPLOST Oversight Committee. Those meetings should be televised. Accountability: Citizens have voted for a sales tax each time that the board has asked for it, they deserve a better return than failing schools. We can do better. Money is not the problem but board management is the problem.”

Q. How would you assess MCSD superintendent David Lewis’ job performance?

A. Cathy Williams: “Outstanding. I am fortunate to have worked on the school board during three superintendents’ tenure. They each had strengths and weaknesses, they each had different philosophies on public education, they each approached our challenges differently. What I have seen with David Lewis is an absolute resolve to make changes to address our challenges, real time. The most important indicators are moving in the right direction, whether it is graduation rates up, or out of school suspensions down, this district is moving in the right direction under Dr. Lewis’ leadership.”

Shelia Williams: “Superintendent David Lewis is as good as the Board that he serves.”

Q. The balance of power on the school board is up for grabs between two types of representatives: those who question the oversight of the superintendent and district office and seek to install more accountability measures, and those who say that approach micromanages the professionals hired to run the district’s daily operations. Which type of board member would you be?

A. Cathy Williams: “This question appears to be framed with a bias towards there being only one way to approach accountability. I am the only District 7 candidate with a proven track record of standing up for accountability and transparency on the school board. I pushed to have the work sessions televised and fought against wasteful spending. If I am returned to the school board I will continue to question, respectfully, any spending that I do not see as in the best interest of our taxpayers.”

Shelia Williams: “Micromanagement is another crutch word that some board members use when they do not want to or do not know the answer to the question. We all should have the same common goal: “To offer the best education possible to our students in parent-friendly schools while attending to the needs and professional development of our staff.” Nick Saban does not play on the field, but he does watch the plays from the sidelines and on film.”

Q. What else should the voters know before they make a choice in this runoff election?

A. Cathy Williams: “I, like any board member, will have one voice and one vote. I will not agree with everything the administration brings before the board, but I believe that open, healthy and respectful inquiry will insure board oversight of our administrative team and will allow for board members to be part of a team that will allow David Lewis to successfully move this district forward towards his vision of being the best school district in the state.”

Shelia Williams: “Their vote is important but they have to participate in the schools. Even if they do not have children in the schools, participation is still key. Children need more than just a school board member and teachers, they need their community. We are producing graduates who can’t follow instructions. If elected, I plan to carefully examine every policy that we have and will suggest any changes that conflict with promoting parent friendly schools. I want our school system to be a school system that finds something right with the children instead of something wrong with the children. We will need to enhance the use of counselors and parent coordinators to do this.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2016 at 8:23 PM with the headline "Q&A with Muscogee County School Board candidates in District 7 runoff."