How long have you been a member of the Demopolis Board of Education?

I am in my third year as a board member.

How does one get on the board and how long are the terms?

We are appointed by the city council for a five-year term and if we do a satisfactory job then we are reappointed at the end of the five-year term. We are reappointed if we want another term and the council wants to give us another term.

What are some of the things that the council has been working on recently?

We have been working on building a new stadium. There has been work on an addition to Westside Elementary School and when that is completed we are going to be doing an addition on the High School. We have a very large sixth grade class that is now seventh graders and we are trying to be ready for them when they enter high school.

How is the superintendent search for the Demopolis School System going for the board?

I haven’t a clue on how that is going, perhaps at our next board meeting we will have a discussion, but as we speak I have no idea.

There has been a lot of talk about the qualifications of the next superintendent; do you think that race is an issue in the superintendent search?

There is a race issue in everything that happens in Demopolis and the superintendent’s position is no different.

Do you think that race should be an issue in the job search?

I think in fairness that it should be an open field and the best-qualified person selected for the position. However, since the majority of the students are minorities I would love to see a minority in that position.

What are some of the things you would like see in the school system?

What I would like to see in the school system is fewer problems with students in regards to following policy. I don’t like going to student hearings. They know what the rules are, and I would like fewer student hearings. I don’t know how we can achieve that besides getting more parents involved in the education process. I would like to see more parents at school board meetings, because I think their presence is very important, and they would get first hand information on what is going on in the school. They would not have to wait for problems to arise to find out.

What is your overall goal in your position on the school board?

My goal is to see that Demopolis schools have quality education and that we have the best teachers we can afford in our classrooms. I want us all to be on the same page as to what our goals and objectives are, and I want us to work as a team to achieve those goals.