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 am an active member of the community through church and local activities. Two of my three children are in the early education program (Pre-K) at Leakesville Elementary School. I am a graduate of Greene County High School, and later the University of South Alabama with a degree in Electrical Engineering. I work as an electrical engineer at Singing River Electric which is a local cooperative that serves the area in which I live.

2.  Why do you want to serve on your school board?  
To further the educational opportunities of every child that attends the Greene County School District. The first step to improving Greene County is through the education that is provided to our youth. I want to help establish vision and goals in order to help the students and staff of the Greene County School District.

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?
Take an active approach in evaluating students’ performance, and when needs are identified ensure that policies and procedures are in place to facilitate student success.

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?
As a district we need to take steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and faculty. This comes from facility upgrades in which our schools are made safer from external threats. Additionally, we need to have resources available at each school in the role of peace officers to provide that additional level of security. Regarding cyberbullying, policies and procedures need to be enacted to deal with these issues as they arise. Regarding mental health that is an issue that requires very good policies that must be followed, and communication to the affected students’ parents or guardians is paramount in order to determine what the best way to handle whatever the situation may be.

5.  What do you see as the most pressing infrastructure needs facing your district?
The creation of a strategic plan that identifies the most pressing issues of the schools ranked by importance and cost. Further beyond that the plan then needs to include a management strategy of the 16-section land within the county in order to establish a multiyear plan to pay for capital improvement needs.

6.  Mississippi school districts are funded by a mix of federal, state, and local funds. The state contributes to local school districts through the new Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF). The MSFF is intended to fund teacher salaries, retirement and benefits, transportation costs, facility maintenance, utilities, special education, and other programs. What role will you play in advocating for full funding of MSFF for your district?
Supporting the administration of the school district in what they view as good policies in order to fully fund the needs for the education of our children.

7.  Vouchers for private school tuition divert public funds away from public schools and toward unaccountable private schools. Do you agree that tax dollars should be used for only public schools and not for non-public schools? Why or why not?
I think that structure and accountability are a must when it comes to the taxpayer funds used, and that private schools should be accountable for the funds. As it pertains to the policy, I would like to further understand what current law is and how our legislation enacted this law, which would depend upon the administration of the Greene County District to gather information as to the effect vouchers could have on our school district. Personally, I am a firm believer that if every educational opportunity that is needed is and can be provided within the local school district there would never be an issue regarding vouchers. I would support the best decision that can positively affect the education of the children within this school district as well every student around the state.

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 judgment and training or should teaching be further regulated by school board policy or law? If you believe teaching should be further regulated, how so?
Absolutely, you have to trust the teachers to fully understand the curriculum and implement the curriculum in the best way possible. Furthermore, I am a believer in a bottom-up management strategy in which the teachers would be viewed as front-line employees, and the opinions of this group should be valued and the forefront of every decision that is made. What better way to understand what works best for the existing children rather than hearing direct honest feedback from the group implementing the curricula each and every day?

9. Mississippi is experiencing a severe teacher shortage. What strategies will you support to recruit and retain high-quality educators?  
First education is the foundation of the future of our communities. Investment in education is paramount to making not only the Greene County School District better, but also the state of Mississippi. One way to recruit the future educators of our community is to implement a teaching program within our school district curriculum. Furthermore, retaining employees is paramount in building upon the success the district has experienced and will experience. Job satisfaction and a good healthy work environment are crucial for retaining top level employees.