Candidate Q&A

Madison County School District

School Board Election 2022

Our public education questionnaire was offered to school board candidates in the November 8 school board elections. Search below for responses from board districts that have opposing candidates. Unopposed candidates are not included.

District 1

Jason Dean

1. What has been your involvement with the community and school district? Describe your leadership and volunteerism in the community. Did you or your children attend school in the district? Have you volunteered in or been employed by the school district?  I have three children in the Madison County Schools. I have never been employed by the school district but my wife has been a member of the PTO for over 10 years and together we have volunteered for a number of school activities. Outside of the school I am on the faith based Jackson Leadership Forum’s advisory board and work with many educationally related ad hoc committees (e.g., Ascent to 55%, MS Financial Aid Redesign Committee)

2. Why do you want to serve on your school board?  I do not have an agenda. I want to serve the community in this capacity because I understand the educational policy issues and my children who are in three separate schools within the district deserve their voices to be heard by those people who are making decisions on their behalf. No one else currently on the board has children in schools.

3. Students from low-income households often need additional resources to achieve academic success. What should your school district do to ensure that all students are successful?  In some cases in Madison County, our lowest income elementary school (Luther Branson) scored higher on the accountability model than our highest income elementary school (Madison Station Elementary). Resources are a part of the answer but there is no power like the power of a culture of high expectations which cost $0. Children totally have the ability to live up to what adults expect from them.

4. What strategies would you support to create a safer school environment? What can your school district do to address cyberbullying, mental health, and physical safety?  Mental health is the number one emerging issue in schools as we have emerged from the pandemic. It is critical, critical, critical that we do not impose expectations on our teachers to become front line mental health counselors on top of everything else we expect from them. Whether through technology or outsourcing therapeutic support, LEAs must use whatever resources including partnering with MDMH to give the students who need support the help that they need.

5. What do you see as the most pressing infrastructure needs facing your district? Free high speed broadband in every student’s home.

6. Mississippi school districts are funded by a mix of federal, state, and local funds. The state contributes to local school districts through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP). MAEP is intended to fund teacher salaries, retirement and benefits, transportation costs, facility maintenance and utilities, special education and other programs, but it is underfunded statewide this year by $279-million. What role will you play in advocating for full funding of MAEP for your district?  Full funding of MAEP should be coupled with a discussion on reforming the accountability model.

7. Vouchers for private school tuition and online schools divert public funds away from public schools. Do you agree that tax dollars should be used for only public schools and not for non-public schools? Why or why not?  You are mixing two subjects in the question. I am all for an online public (not private) school option for those parents with children who can excel in that environment. I don’t think the state should spend MAEP funds on private schools but there are millions spent each year in federal funds. I have never heard any serious policy thinker show support for private school vouchers. That always seemed like a scare tactic on both sides.

8. In Mississippi, academic standards are set by the Mississippi Department of Education and local districts choose curricula from an MDE approved list. Do you trust educators in your district to teach using their professional judgement and training or should teaching be further regulated by school board policy or law? If you believe teaching should be further regulated, how so?  As I stated above, the time is now to reform the accountability model which drives 99% of the LEA decision making process. We can develop a community based model that reflects the local district’s academic desires while adhering to the federal requirements. This will take law changes in some ways and State Board of Ed policy changes in others.

9. Mississippi is experiencing a severe teacher shortage. What strategies will you support to recruit and retain high quality educators?  We have to stop imposing unending expectations on what teachers are expected to do in the classroom. We should continue to increase salaries but provide flexibility at the local level in terms of driving salaries based on market demands. If you need a physics teacher you should be able to use whatever MAEP funds you can to go find one and pay them what they are worth. There is a reason why we haven’t had one certified in years.

Kendale McCoy

WINNER

NO RESPONSE

District 2

William R. Grisset

WINNER
 
1.  What has been your involvement with the community and school district? Describe your leadership and volunteerism in the community. Did you or your children attend school in the district? Have you volunteered in or been employed by the school district?  My involvement within our community began as a police officer, a career in which I served for 30 years prior to retirement from the Ridgeland Police Department. While a law enforcement officer, I worked with several different groups from shopping safety to home and business security, to helping with self-defense classes. I am proud to say both my children are graduates of Madison County Schools and my granddaughter is a current Madison County Schools seventh grader. As a school board member I have volunteered at many school campuses, from reading to first and second graders in their classrooms at Ann Smith Elementary to chaperoning field trips to the rodeo at the state coliseum. I have also enjoyed volunteering with ninth-grade students at Rosa Scott School, teaching them the life skills of setting and keeping a budget.
 
2.  Why do you want to serve on your school board?  When I initially ran for election to this position, I had two children in Madison County Schools. Their success depended on the success of the district, and I wanted to contribute to making the Madison County School District the best in the state. Even though my children are proud graduates now, that feeling is still within me, and my granddaughter is a current student. I still believe strong schools in Madison County make a difference for our entire community, attracting businesses, raising property values, and making Madison County a really great place to live for everyone, not just those with school-age children.
 
3.  Students from low-income households often need additional resources to achieve academic success. What should your school district do to ensure that all students are successful?  Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed no matter their economic circumstances. In Madison County Schools we work to level the playing field by providing literacy specialists, math specialists, as well as tutors to help students meet and exceed expectations. Several of our campuses qualify for Title 1 dollars, which allows for even more support via special programs, instructional specialists, after school programs, and more. We also provide summer programs for students identified by their teachers as needing extra academic support. We are committed to providing the very best education for every student.
 
4.  What strategies would you support to create a safer school environment?  What can your school district do to address cyberbullying, mental health, and physical safety?  In Madison County Schools we are committed to safety. We have been working diligently to modify every school building entrance for additional security. We have also installed an updated video camera system throughout our campuses, both indoor and outdoor. In our middle and high schools we have law enforcement present on our campuses every day. We require CRASE active shooter training to every faculty and staff member on every campus. In terms of technology, we utilize programs that filter content as well as detect and notify school officials of inappropriate use. For students who may be going through difficulties, the district has mental health therapists and behavior interventionists on staff. We work proactively to create a school culture that truly supports and nurtures all students.
 
5.  What do you see as the most pressing infrastructure needs facing your district?   A major accomplishment in terms of facilities is our construction of at least 11 new school buildings without the use of bond issues or a tax increase for our community. The effective management and stewardship of funds is a big point of pride for our Board. MCS has also added career academies at all four of our high schools, helping prepare students to join the workforce and contribute immediately after high school. In addition to these highly visible projects, we have also been mindful to keep our existing facilities up-to-date, upgrading HVAC systems, updating lighting to save energy and money, and adding classrooms at numerous campuses to accommodate the growing student population. All of these improvements have been made without a tax increase. Currently the biggest and most pressing infrastructure needs are additional classrooms in certain areas of the district. Plans are on the way to help ease these growing pains.
 
6.  Mississippi school districts are funded by a mix of federal, state, and local funds. The state contributes to local school districts through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP). MAEP is intended to fund teacher salaries, retirement and benefits, transportation costs, facility maintenance and utilities, special education and other programs, but it is underfunded statewide this year by $279-million. What role will you play in advocating for full funding of MAEP for your district?  As a member of the board of directors of the Mississippi School Boards Association, I work within that organization to educate representatives of the funding needs of the school systems statewide so all our students can help make Mississippi succeed. On the local level here, of course, every year I reach out to our representatives at the capitol and express our specific needs and concerns.
 
7.  Vouchers for private school tuition and online schools divert public funds away from public schools. Do you agree that tax dollars should be used for only public schools and not for non-public schools? Why or why not?
 
8. In Mississippi, academic standards are set by the Mississippi Department of Education and local districts choose curricula from an MDE approved list. Do you trust educators in your district to teach using their professional judgement and training or should teaching be further regulated by school board policy or law? If you believe teaching should be further regulated, how so? I do trust the professional judgement and training of our district’s educators. I do not feel that further regulations are needed for our teachers. Should something unforeseen come up then the possibility of school board policy might be needed, but each instance would have to be looked at on an individual basis.
 
9. Mississippi is experiencing a severe teacher shortage. What strategies will you support to recruit and retain high quality educators?  In Madison County Schools we have a really outstanding culture in our buildings that attracts high quality teachers. We provide a local salary supplement to increase teachers’ salaries and provide very competitive benefits as well. We work to develop the pipeline of future teachers by providing training programs for assistant teachers to become certified teachers, and we offer a Teacher Academy program for our students interested in becoming teachers so they can begin training while still in high school. Madison County Schools also provides career pathways for teachers to become experts and leaders in their field, enabling teachers to grow and continue learning while remaining in the classroom to teach. A big part of our district’s strategic plan includes attracting and retaining the best and brightest teachers and we are committed to providing the very best teachers for each and every one of our students.

Rylon Thompson

NO RESPONSE

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