 Ella Smith formally announces her run for district 9 DeKalb County School Board Position
06/08/2010
I am formally announcing my candidacy to run for the district nine school board position in DeKalb County. I have made every excuse in the world not to get into the race but I cannot walk away from the problems I see currently on the DeKalb County School Board. This is not a new conviction. I have had this passion to make a difference for many years. This is why I have continued to be politically involved. Even if you disagree with my opinions, you will find that my convictions are sincere and I have no other agenda other than:
- Improving the education of our children in DeKalb County
- Improving relations with all the stakeholders involved to improve the education of our children in DeKalb County
- Ensuring the school system is accountable to all stakeholders
- Assuring an environment where all stakeholders feel the children of DeKalb County are safe and feel safe to improve the education of our children in DeKalb County
- Demanding access to equal facilities, equipment, and learning opportunities to every student in DeKalb County Schools, regardless of where a student may live in DeKalb County.
I understand that I would only be one person and the school board makes decisions as a whole group and one school board member is no different from any other citizen in DeKalb County. I am running in an attempt to make a difference from that one seat on the school board. I believe together we can speak and make a change as to what is happening in our school system and in return in our communities.
I feel it may be time for some of our school board members to think about retiring from their positions and allowing positive changes to occur. There appears to be too much micro-management occurring in our school system by our school board members. This may be due to some of the school board members feeling like this is their full time job or not understanding their role as school board members. School board duties and responsibilities are not to run day-to-day operations of a school system. This is the job of the school superintendent.
However, it is the job of the school board to hire the school superintendent and it is important that as a community the DeKalb County citizens have the right members on their school board to make this very important decision and to evaluate the job the superintendent does on a yearly basis.
Every single child enrolled in the DeKalb County School System is a reason for each member of the DeKalb Community to get out and vote on November 2, 2010, to make positive changes on the DeKalb County School Board. The local school board can affect the overall quality of the local schools and the community. The decisions made by the school board affect the quality of your community and in return, that affects the businesses in DeKalb County. The decisions that the school board makes and the behaviors of each school board member affect every citizen in DeKalb and the economic impact of DeKalb County.
- Having good schools is good for businesses in the community. Good schools attract good employers, strengthen the local economy and actually enhance the property values in a community.
- Having good schools ensures our students will be prepared for the future to keep our state and nation competitive in a global society and economy.
- Good schools keep the quality of life in a community high by producing opportunities for every child to receive a world-class education.
- Good schools keep the quality of life in a community high by producing citizens who pay taxes and obey the law.
- Good schools teach students from all backgrounds how to live and participate in our democracy.
- Good schools work as a partnership with all stakeholders involved to ensure that the community is a part of the good schools and the good schools are part of the community.
- Good schools work with parents as stakeholders.
- Good schools should be safe for our students to attend. Students should feel safe from any form of bullying or physical violence of any kind.
- Good schools have good instructional plans, good technological plans, and good school improvement plans.
- Good schools have professional and ethical school board members who do not use their position for financial gain, or political favors. Good school board members are in tune with what is happening in education today through their educational experiences. Good school board members should be focused more on the vision and future of the school system verses the past history that continues to cause all members of our county pain and prevent our school system leaders from moving the school system into a premium 21st century school system.
- Good schools celebrate the diversity in their schools and the educational opportunities this brings to all the students to learn about others as members of an inclusive school. Good schools do not use diversity as a tool to cause friction and racial and ethical conflict.
In conclusion, I understand that if I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a member of the school board it will be my obligation to work with all the other school board members to provide the best educational opportunities for the students in DeKalb County. It will be my obligation as a school board member to work with all other school board members even when I might disagree with their decisions as school board members. I sincerely hope that you will get involved in my campaign in anyway you can and in other school board races to make a difference in our schools and in our community. Education is the key to our county's, state's and nation's future and it takes all stakeholders involved to provide the best education possible for our children in DeKalb County. A school board and school system cannot provide this type of education without the support of all its stakeholders.
If you would like to get involved with my campaign, please email me at ella.smith@att.net.
Sincerely,
Ella Smith
(Coach Smith) |
