2012 Henry County Board of Education 2012 Candidate Questionnaire District I Responses (All races are non-partisan. Responses are posted verbatim.

Transcription

1 2012 Henry County Board of Education 2012 Candidate Questionnaire District I Responses (All races are non-partisan. Responses are posted verbatim.) Names: John H. Dewberry, Jr. Pam Nutt (I) Address: Dewberry: 1010 South Bethany (Post Office Box 57) Locust Grove Georgia Nutt: Luella Rd. Locust Grove, Ga Phone: Dewberry: Nutt: Alternate phone: (work or cell) Dewberry: Nutt: Dewberry: N/A Nutt: pnutt@mindspring.com Date of Birth: Dewberry: 9/18/65 Nutt: Did not respond Marital Status: Dewberry: Married (25 years) Nutt: Divorced Did you attend public school(s)? Dewberry: Yes Nutt: Yes. Henry Co. High School 1977

2 Educational Attainment (Please provide dates for all that apply): Dewberry: High School- Diploma-1984-Henry County High School Tech School- Certificate Accounting-1985-Atlanta Area Tech 2 Year College- Certificate Beauty College Master Cosmetologist- Dimples Beauty College 4 Year College- Bachelors of Arts Carver Bible College-2002 Masters- Luther Rice Seminary (Pursuing Master Divinity) Nutt: High School Year College- Mercer University, BS in Middle Grades 1994 Masters- Middle Georgia College 1998 Media/Instructional Technology Specialist: 2002, State University of West Georgia in Media and Instructional Technology, PhD 2010, Mercer University in Educational Leadership. Ages of Children Dewberry: 23 year old son/ 19 year old daughter Nutt: 32, 25, 22 Did/do they attend public schools? Dewberry: Yes Nutt: Yes Do you personally have any conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest in regard to serving on the Henry County Board of Education? Dewberry: None present. Wife works for the central office as secretary. Only conflict would be if she went into assistant superintendent roles. Presently her education would not qualify her for those responsibilities. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy? Dewberry: Did not respond Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Dewberry: No What politcal office(s), if any, have you held? Dewberry: None Nutt: I have been on the Henry County Board of Education for the past 16 years.

3 List community, education, or professional experience that has helped to prepare you to be a quality school board member: Dewberry: My preperation for this position comes with my board experience with the current boards that I am involved with today. Clayton County Marriage and Family Initative and Speedway Children Charity Executive Board. Both boards have given me the experience and relationships within the community to allow me to be an effective board member. Nutt: 16 years of working experience as a board member and 18 years classroom experience as an educator. I was also a State Professional Standards Commissioner, which held educators accountable for their actions. I am also on the Board of Directors in the Community in Schools program in Henry Co. List 3 examples from your life experience that demonstrate your commitment to public education and/or the Henry County Schools? Dewberry: (1) I am a product of the Henry County School system which allows me to speak from personal experience of the school system. This experience demonstrates my commitment to our public school system. (2) My commitment with the Class of 2012 Leadership Henry to promote and purse the passing of the E-SPLOSH campaign to better equip our schools for the future of educating our kids. (3) My commitment to making life better for over 130 kids for Christmas in 2011 through a program in our ministry called CEO. Through this program we were able to help 130 kids have a great holiday during the Christmas break. We accomplished this task through partnering with the School system and Connecting Henry. Nutt: I continue to learn by taking classes and obtaining advanced degrees. How can I expect the staff of the HCBOE to better themselves and obtain additional certifications if I am not willing to do the same? I am an adjunct professor for Mercer University in McDonough in the area of Education. I am a teacher in the Griffin-Spalding Co. School System. Please describe your experience with: a) Strategic planning Dewberry: the structuring of local mission churches in Henry and Clayton County through partnering with local Baptist Agencies through co-operative giving and outreach. Also with planning events through Clayton County Family and Marriage Initiative and Speedway Children Charity. Nutt: Planning the growth of our school system in one, five, and ten year plans. Building schools, hiring staff, and budgeting for long range needs has allowed this system to give back furlough days and continue to be a leader in education. b) Finical analysis and planning Dewberry: responsible for raising funds and assisting with designing programs/activities around budgets in all board activities. Nutt: Again, making long-range goals and anticipating State and Federal budget cuts in order to prepare for the long road ahead.

4 c) Group-decision-making Dewberry: assigned to lead several programs with boards currently serving and assist those working different programs. Recently worked on board with Leadership Henry Class of 2012 to do our annual Hands on Henry Projects. Nutt: Henry Co. School System would not be in a most enviable position by one person making future decisions for the educational needs of the students. It has been the hard efforts of board members working together that has made things happen. It has been a team effort. Why do you want to serve on the Henry County Board of Education? Dewberry: To serve the citizens in Henry County to make our school the best in the Nation. Nutt: To continue leading this system in becoming the best educational institution in the State. What do you see as the primary role of a BOE member? Dewberry: I see the primary role of the BOE Member as a communicator to the School System and the Citizens of Henry County. To communicate to the citizens the progress of the school system and hold the system accountable to the laws and citizens. We are responsible for ensuring the success of the students and the school system as it relates to the laws and educational standards set in place. Nutt: To be the guardian of the purse; the appointee of the leader (in this case, the superintendent); and the maker of policy, all with the purpose of providing the best education we can for our children while making wise budgetary decisions. To do those things, it s important that we let both staff and students know that we support them and want them to succeed, so we strive to create a positive atmosphere in which to work and learn. How would you address the needs and opportunities in a culturally diverse school system? Dewberry: All school systems are facing these issues and we as a system must be sensitive to all cultural. We must prepare in advance for the transition of our community so as the diverse issues arise we are already prepared to respond. Nutt: Communication. You can not understand the needs of others if you don t ask and listen, and you can t expect others to meet your needs and expectations if you don t communicate them. How would you hold the superintendent accountable for student achievement? Dewberry: By working hand and hand with the superintendant. The superintendent has a responsibility and as a board member we have a responsibility to assist him/her to be successful in his/her duties. Nutt: You hold the superintendent accountable by his appointments. He is not solely responsible, but he has staff members, who are developing plans to ensure school and system wide success.

5 What do you see as the greatest strengths of the Henry County Schools? Dewberry: Budget controls. Henry County Central office works as a staff with the least amount of staff members in a central office in the state. With the small head count they still one of the most effective central offices in the state. Nutt: Our greatest strengths are our community and staff. Our community has rallied around our schools, which has resulted in Henry Co. scoring above the State average on standardized tests. Our staff continues to work with less, but is able to send students to college who are taking fewer remedial courses upon entry. What are the most important issues facing the Henry County Schools? Dewberry: Graduation test scores/act and SAT and drop-out rates. Nutt: We have two major problems facing our school system and they are coming from different areas. The first area is from outside the system and it is State and Federal budget cuts. The County has no control over these reductions and in turn, we have to take strong measures to compensate for the reduction. The second problem is negativity from among our system employees. I realize it is hard to smile when you have not received a raise in several years, but I am positive that once the economy turns around, adjustments will be made. What are your recommendations for addressing them? Dewberry: We can become more intentional with test scores through more free programs through local agencies such as Communities In Schools and Faith Based tutors. Our school system can take more advantages of the free support in our community to allow the citizens to help build our school system into a great system. Nutt: We need to support each other and have faith during these trying times.