WINNER of October 13 runoff

1. What is your experience with K-12 public schools, personally and/or with your children or family? Prior to becoming a family law, city, county and youth court attorney, I worked in the boilermaker industry and then was a public high school teacher and coach for four years. I taught 9th grade world geography and 11th grade U.S. history, and coached football, softball and middle school track. My family is filled with educators. I am a former public school teacher, my wife, the former Brandi Edwards of Monticello, was a public school teacher for 20 years and to this day works in education. My brother teaches welding at a public school, his wife is an elementary public school teacher, my mother-in-law, Karen Kay Young Edwards, retired as a teacher with the Lawrence County School District, and my father-in-law, Mike Edwards, was a public school teacher prior to working for Georgia Pacific. During law school, the educational law courses I took provided me with the foundation I have used to represent our local teachers and local school districts and participate in school board hearings. As a supporter, I have volunteered my time, experience, and money to local public schools for mock trial teams, athletics and educational needs, including the “Lawyer in Every Classroom” program. Please hear me. Teachers and staff need a trusted voice. Educators need someone to fight for them at the capitol and not just agree with the mainstream because that is the easy thing to do. Parents, grandparents, and legal guardians also need a trusted voice at the capitol to ensure that all children receive a quality education. Education has always been, and will continue to be, something I will fight for. Let me fight for you, your children, and our teachers.

2. Do you agree that the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) should be fully funded every year? If yes, what actions will you take to ensure full funding? If no, explain why. The MAEP is the funding mechanism for our state’s public schools. See https://tpcref.org/mississippi-adequate-education-program-maep/ for information. Yes. As a former public school teacher and coach with a family filled with public school educators, I have a unique understanding of the education system. I wholeheartedly believe that public schools should be adequately, not moderately, funded. I will closely review the statutory formula and framework for the funding of MAEP, as well as the state’s budget, including designated lottery funds for education, to help ensure the formula works to fully fund education and funds reach the classroom. Effective education requires sufficient funding, responsibility, and accountability. The bottom line is that I want our schools to flourish, prepare students for success, and provide teachers with promised pay raises.

3. What will you do to ensure state revenue that is sufficient to provide all of the services Mississippi’s citizens need to lead productive lives? Through fiscal responsibility and reevaluating sources of revenue and the state budget, I believe legislators can find the funding needed to offset certain department and program shortages. In Southwest Mississippi, small businesses are the cornerstones of our communities and good jobs are necessary for the health and well-being of our families. We need to reopen the economy and continue to strengthen workforce development through programs like ReSkillMS as part of our economic recovery plan so that we emerge stronger and more resilient than ever before. A renewed focus on economic development through growing existing businesses and bringing in new businesses and industries, as well as building upon our natural resources, will help provide the tax base and revenue to provide needed services for our citizens.

4. Will you oppose vouchers that send taxpayer dollars to private schools, religious schools, home schools, or virtual schools? Why or why not? Yes, I oppose vouchers with the exception of students who have disabilities or other health impairments who cannot receive an effective, adequate education to meet their special needs through their local school district. We should help vulnerable children with special needs reach their highest potential, not create more obstacles.

5. Do you agree that all K-12 schools that receive taxpayer dollars, including private voucher schools, should be accountable to taxpayers for the quality of education they provide, using the same accountability measures as public schools? Yes. I believe in responsibility, accountability, and transparency.

6. Public schools serve the vast majority of Mississippi students with disabilities. Do you agree that special education services in public schools should be fully funded every year? (Special education has been underfunded by the state every year since 2008.) If yes, how will you accomplish full funding? If no, explain why. Yes, I agree that special education services in public schools should be fully funded each year and that school districts should be held accountable for providing an effective, adequate education and qualified teachers for students who have disabilities, other health impairments, or special needs. We must help ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential for success. I will need to review the special education add-on program, possible other add-ons, available grants, designated lottery funds for education, and state budget funds to determine the best approach to full funding.

7. Do you agree that Mississippi should provide high quality early childhood education statewide? Yes. I believe it has many benefits and can produce lifelong advantages for our students.

8. The nation’s top teachers say that the greatest barriers to school success for K-12 students are family stress, poverty, and learning and psychological problems. What steps do you believe legislators should take to alleviate these obstacles for Mississippi children? It will take many groups, including educators, legislators, concerned citizens, parents, churches, healthcare workers and community leaders working together with a common goal to find effective solutions to help alleviate those barriers. Schools are often a safe haven for many of our children by providing structure in a nurturing environment for the development of self-worth and a positive self-esteem. The part of each legislator is to be accessible to hear the concerns of our teachers, listen to their suggestions since they are on the front lines every day in the classroom, continue funding for free meal programs, help provide new ideas and fresh perspectives to give hope for the future to our students and their families. Each student is unique. We should consider reexamining different learning methods to help each reach their full potential. Nowadays, teachers are required to do more than simply teach. They wear many hats including that of a personal counselor. In order to provide teachers with a better understanding and the necessary knowledge to effectively handle these barriers, it may prove beneficial for them to be trained through professional development courses offered by a licensed psychologist specializing in student/family dynamics and learning and psychological problems. While the economy and jobs are at the hub of poverty, we need real solutions today. We cannot wait on future economic development to address these barriers.

9. Do you support raising teacher salaries at least to the level of our neighboring states and raising pay for teacher assistants?
Yes. It is my opinion that teachers are not sufficiently compensated for the hard work and time they devote to our communities and our society as a whole. After all, our economic development, infrastructure, public safety and health, and future leaders are direct products of quality education. As a former teacher, I have participated in many preplanning meetings with my fellow teachers, prepared for numerous classroom open houses, and welcomed parents and anxious students into my classroom. I have stood at a chalk board teaching and have sat late into the night at my school desk after coaching a game to grade papers and enter grades. To speak frankly from personal experience, it was difficult to raise a family and make ends meet on two teachers’ salaries. I had to drive a school bus some mornings, work on the school’s maintenance crew during the summer break, and coach a sport each season to make extra money to help ends meet. That should not have been the case and the situation was not isolated just to me; however, it is still very commonplace to see teachers finding ways to earn additional income. Our teachers and teacher assistants deserve, at a minimum, to be paid at the same level as our neighboring states.

10. Do you agree that retired educators (and other retired state employees) should be able to draw their retirement while serving in the Legislature? Yes.

11. Legislators have little or no staff to help them understand the many bills they must consider. Before introducing or supporting a bill that could affect public education, will you commit to seeking input from teachers, principals, superintendents, and parents of public school students in your district? Who will be advising you on education policies? I want our citizens to have real-time input at the capitol on issues that matter to them. I will seek input from teachers, principals, superintendents, and parents of public school students throughout District 39 before introducing or supporting a bill affecting public education. I also want parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators, custodial staff and all residents to know that I am uniquely qualified to serve because as a former teacher I have an understanding of education from ground zero, and as a current family law, city, county and youth court attorney I have the education and knowledge required to understand and interpret Mississippi law, especially our education laws, as well as the language that should, or should not, be placed in a bill. Often only one word or one sentence can completely change the meaning of a bill and make a difference to it passing or failing.

12. In the past, legislators have received tremendous pressure from the leaders of their chamber (House or Senate), state and party leaders, and corporate lobbyists, to vote in ways that could contradict the will of their constituents and harm their communities. How would you respond to such pressure? I am dedicated to servant leadership and being a strong, trusted voice for the people in District 39. I am not a politician and am not running for office to climb the political ladder. You can count on me to listen to you, help you, and serve you—our residents, small businesses, local officials and communities. You can count on me to make tough decisions and not straddle the fence. I have a strong resolve and will always be honest with you because my word is my bond. I will not be pressured by any means to voting in a way that is not favorable for my district. I have not accepted money from PACs throughout my campaign and I do not owe favors to any special interest groups. If elected, what I will owe is fair and transparent leadership for all residents throughout the district with no hidden agenda and no false promises. I am running for office to make a positive difference in helping build a better Southwest Mississippi for the livelihood of our families and future of our children, and to help families and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money in their own pocket where it belongs, not lining the pockets of others.