Election 2020: Q&A with Muscogee County School Board District 7 candidates
To help voters decide which local candidates to support in the June 9 election, the Ledger-Enquirer is publishing a series of stories about the contested races in a Q&A format.
Today, we feature the District 7 seat on the Muscogee County School Board. The one-term incumbent is Cathy Williams. The challenger is the Rev. Walter Taylor.
Williams, 62, has served on the school board for 12 years. She was the nine-member board’s lone countywide representative for eight years (2007-14), including two as chairwoman.
She is president and CEO of NeighborWorks Columbus, a nonprofit organization promoting and providing access to fit and affordable housing. She graduated from Spencer High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Troy University. She also earned a certificate in community development from the Achieving Excellence program at Harvard University.
Taylor, 36, is senior pastor of The Life Church of Columbus, clinical director of The Life Center, which offers counseling and other community resources, and owner of Tax Giant USA.
During his eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, he was deployed for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, then honorably discharged as a sergeant.
He graduated from Carver High School and earned the following college degrees: an associate’s in funeral service from Gupton-Jones College, a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix, a master’s in biblical studies and a doctorate in theology from North Carolina College of Theology and a doctorate in Christian counseling from Saint Thomas University.
The candidates answered the following questions via email.
Why should residents in your district vote for you over your opponent?
Taylor: “Being raised in the district as a youth, I have firsthand knowledge of the issues that were present then and that are very much still present in the community today. Given the great levels of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity within District 7, I believe that I am the voice to bridge those gaps that exist. Having been educated in District 7, I can relate to all aspects of the culture. I will not only be the voice of the highly educated business professional, the college educated mother but also the voice of the single parent with three children, the working parent with multiple jobs trying to make ends meet, and the parent of the child who has a disability or diagnosis of mental illness. Going forward, District 7 needs a visionary and someone that has experience fighting for equality for all; I am that person!”
Williams: “I believe this is the most consequential school board election of our time. We will be asked to examine and likely re-invent everything within the public education delivery system and do it during the budget crisis that is clearly coming. Experience has never been more important and critical to the future of all our children and community.”
What is the most important issue in MCSD, and how should it be addressed during the 2020-21 school year?
Taylor: “The worsening of preexisting budgetary restraints as a result of COVID-19 is one of the leading issues facing MCSD. There must be innovative ways created to secure more qualified teachers for the classrooms and incentives implemented to keep the teachers already on staff. Implementation of programs that will foster partnership opportunities that can generate additional funding to facilitate getting the resources needed to ensure every child has the technological resources needed for learning is a must.”
Williams: “What will public education look like during a global pandemic? How do we ensure that the delivery of our services are done safely, for our students and our faculty and staff? What needs to be done to be sure all our students can achieve the connectivity that will be needed as we move into the next school year and beyond? These are the most important issues before us for the coming 2020-21 year.”
What is the most significant strength and the most significant weakness in MCSD that has been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic, and what will be their impact when schools reopen?
Taylor: “MCSD should be commended on its adaptability amid this crisis. Teachers and faculty being able to transition instruction from the traditional classroom setting to distance learning platforms was fantastic. However, this pandemic highlighted the fact the MCSD is severely behind the technology curve. The shortfall of resources left some students having to struggle through assignments without the aid of teachers. It is my earnest hope that this pandemic has shed light on the need to redress the approach to traditional curriculum. Facilitating partnerships with other agencies to ensure that no child is left behind despite any economic disparity that their parents/parent may be facing.”
Williams: “The most significant strength was our ability to begin the implementation of our district’s technology plan, to provide Chromebooks for all our middle and high school students this past year. The most significant weakness is that our plan was to roll them out to all our elementary students at the start of the upcoming year, so they did not yet have the devices to accomplish distance learning when COVID-19 closed our schools. We will need to adjust the plan accordingly to ensure 100% delivery of Chromebooks to all our students and provide parents the resources and support needed for successful implementation across the district.”
Should voters approve the ESPLOST referendum? Why or why not?
Taylor: “Yes, voters should favor money being brought into and allocated to the district. Funding such as the ESPLOST yields opportunity for getting more qualified teachers into our classrooms. It will aid in securing resources that are desperately needed to ensure that every child has what is needed to have a successful learning experience. Lastly, the ESPLOST will assist in getting much-needed upgrades and renovations to many of our schools.”
Williams: “YES!! The ESPLOST is the ONLY reason we were able to roll out the Chromebooks to our students in the district. The ESPLOST is the ONLY funding we have available to continue to replace our aging bus fleet. The ESPLOST is the ONLY funding we have to continue to take obsolete schools offline with new, modern buildings. The upcoming ESPLOST does just that with Arnold Middle School. We will be able to leverage state funding with our ESPLOST funding to maximize the use of our local taxpayer dollars. The combining of Dawson and St. Mary’s elementary schools will allow us to promote taxpayer efficiency and reduce redundant administrative costs. The ESPLOST is SMART, and it is critical to our future. We must support it.”
