Richmond County School Board Elections

What will you do to improve the finances of the school system?

With declining enrollment, should schools be closed? Why or why not?

What will you do to better prepare students for life after high school?

JOE SCOTT

AGE: 73

OCCUPATION: Retired educator

EDUCATION: Graduate of Immaculate Conception Academy and Paine College

FAMILY: Wife, Patsy; three sons; four grandchildren

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Richmond County Board of Education, vice president; Aviation Commission; formerly served on the Coliseum Authority

Expenses have been scrutinized in his four years on the board. "I've always questioned certain spending. Finances of the district have been driven by, in my opinion, people who have not been watching the purse of the taxpayers." The board needs to be more efficient and better stewards of taxpayer money. For instance, $10,000 could have been saved by locking in prices of paper.

"I would like to see other programs come about where we could use these schools and no person is placed out of a job ... Tubman could probably be a one-stop shop for all kinds of learning, not just an alternative school, but an alternative school for people with different learning styles."

"College might not be the right fit for everybody." People can make a decent salary with a technical college education or another form of alternative education. The business community needs to partner with the school system to hold joint job fairs and usher students into the workforce.

"We need to make up for resources we're losing." The school system should turn to the community, such as fraternities and sororities, to assist teachers as resources are cut from the budget. The board should also review the salaries of the upper administration, not fill vacancies and encourage senior officials to retire.

He will support a recommendation from the superintendent that is well researched and uses facilities wisely. No recommendation has been made. It has been shown, however, that schools are under-enrolled, and some schools are in disrepair. "If it's a school that we've determined that it's too much money to rehab it, then close it and disperse the students elsewhere." The superintendent must be allowed to do his job. "Not everybody is going to be satisfied. I understand that."

"I am an advocate of higher education. Higher education doesn't always mean going to college." Use community resources to work with students throughout high school so that by senior year, they know where they want to go and how to get there.

JAMES WILLIAMS JR.

AGE: 63

OCCUPATION: Property manager at Taliafaro Inc.; associate minister at Mount Calvary Baptist Church

EDUCATION: Graduate of Laney High School and Voorhees College; master's degree from Southern Wesleyan University

FAMILY: Wife, Dorothy; four children; seven grandchildren

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

"We need to make up for resources we're losing." The school system should turn to the community, such as fraternities and sororities, to assist teachers as resources are cut from the budget. The board should also review the salaries of the upper administration, not fill vacancies and encourage senior officials to retire.

He will support a recommendation from the superintendent that is well researched and uses facilities wisely. No recommendation has been made. It has been shown, however, that schools are under-enrolled, and some schools are in disrepair. "If it's a school that we've determined that it's too much money to rehab it, then close it and disperse the students elsewhere." The superintendent must be allowed to do his job. "Not everybody is going to be satisfied. I understand that."

"I am an advocate of higher education. Higher education doesn't always mean going to college." Use community resources to work with students throughout high school so that by senior year, they know where they want to go and how to get there.

Jimmy Atkins

AGE: 38

OCCUPATION: Production supervisor for MAU Inc. assigned to Kimberly-Clark

Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from Brenau University, associate's degree in accounting from Augusta State University

FAMILY: Donna, wife of 14 years; daughter, Elisa, 12; and son, Jacob, 8

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Currently serves as the Richmond County Board of Education president

"I think the answer is rightsizing. That's one of the answers. We've got to take a hard look and we've got to make the difficult choices as far as possibly closing schools or combining some programs that we currently offer just to make sure that we're making the best use of what facilities we have." With 90 percent of the budget being personnel, the board must also ensure that the right people are in the right jobs and that they are performing, rather than simply collecting a paycheck.

"If that's what it takes to balance the budget for the Richmond County school system, I am committed to closing schools." It's "very politically sensitive," but as a board member it's his job to ensure money isn't being wasted.

The board has set the goals for the superintendent, including reducing the number of certificates of completion by 15 percent. "We're also still looking at doing the technical careers magnet high school. We have recognized that not every student who graduates is college material and we need to prepare them to be able to go out into the workforce."

MARY OGLESBY

AGE: 60

OCCUPATION: grandmother, Bible study and volunteer

EDUCATION: Attended Augusta Technical College at Butler High School

FAMILY: Married for 41 years with two children and three grandchildren

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Served on the Richmond County Board of Education 1992-2000, including the last two of those years as president

Budget problems are the results of decreasing enrollment, decreased state and federal money and money that comes with strings attached. "I feel that it's time that we step up and start making some noises to advocate for our children." The board also needs to hire a grant writer and obtain flexibility on how to spend money. The budget process needs to begin early, and the budget needs to be reviewed line by line. Taxes should not be raised.

"Rightsizing probably needs to be done, but also look at what we can do with those other schools. If we have those schools already and have personnel then find out those things we can do to enhance our education." Existing facilities could be used as alternative ways to prepare students for the workforce. They can also be used for music and arts education or to expand other programs. "I'm not against rightsizing. I just want to make sure we don't tear something apart and then go back in a year or two and look at it and say 'We should have done this' or 'We should have done that.'"

It starts in kindergarten and continues through high school. Counselors need to work closely with students to identify what they want to do post-graduation. They can then map how to get there. "You have to do this to get here and let them know on a year by year basis." Counselors should also work with students to identify the underlying issues which hold students back. "You can't save everyone, but you can offer them the opportunities to stir them in the right direction."