Education candidate Law wants fiscal responsibility

It's time to raise expectations, both in terms of what students can do and how the Richmond County School System manages its finances, Willie "Bill" Law said.

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Willie "Bill" Law: Realtor says many education problems will be easier to tackle if the board becomes more fiscally responsible.

The candidate for the Board of Education's District 2 seat says the same is true for board members.

"There are some things board members just aren't privy to, so they're not making firsthand decisions, but doing a lot of rubberstamping," said Law, a Realtor who has previously run for school board and Augusta Commission. "That's not just me saying it, but other board members have told me that on some things that deal directly with the budget, they do not have firsthand information."

If elected, Law said he would talk with those who work in the schools to see how schools' culture can be changed.

"The first thing we've got to do is create an environment which teachers and students can thrive in together," he said. "I think that's a lot of the reason why we have problems with kids in school today. They're not in an education-enriched environment."

If the district can better manage its finances, Law says, other problems, such as a graduation rate that still trails the state average and persistently low test scores in some schools, will be easier to tackle.

"The first thing we need to do as a board is be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers' money," he said. "If you can get your budget in line ... so many other things flow from there."