Candidate Q&A: House District 7
Election 2023
Our public education questionnaire is offered to candidates in statewide and legislative elections. Search for candidates’ questionnaire responses below. Election dates: Primary – August 8, 2023, General – November 7, 2023
General Election Candidate:
Gail Lyons • Kimberly Remak
James "Jamey" Goodkind (defeated in primary)
NO RESPONSE
Gail Lyons
NO RESPONSE
Kimberly Remak
1. What is your experience with K-12 public schools, personally and/or with your children or family?
I attended public schools. My sons all attended public schools. I understand the special education system, as well as the regular education system. I have two special needs twin sons. I also serve as an appointee to the Charter Authorizer Board from my district in North Mississippi. Education is the key to success.
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.
I support full funding of the MAEP. Mississippi needs to put more funding into public education. I support raising teacher pay to a more competitive level and ensuring that school funds are available for teachers to purchase necessary classroom supplies. Our teachers should never have to use personal funds to buy needed supplies. Our state must do a better job of setting spending priorities. Public schools is an area of great need and Mississippi must direct more resources. The Legislature’s recent pay raise for teachers was the highlight of the session but we must continue to keep up with the pace of inflation and salaries of neighboring states.
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?
State government cannot be all things to all people. I believe in limited government, and I believe Mississippi has sufficient revenues. We need to do a better job of setting spending priorities. As a state representative, one of my top funding priorities will be public schools. I will work to direct financial resources from other areas to our schools so we can raise teacher pay and ensure classrooms have the funds needed to help Mississippi children succeed.
4. Will you oppose vouchers that send taxpayer dollars to private schools, religious schools, home schools, or virtual schools? Why or why not?
I am opposed to vouchers. Rather than directing resources away from public schools, I believe we need to do more to improve Mississippi schools. Some of the best schools – Desoto, Oxford, Starkville schools – are in communities that have made serious investments in public education. I will work to ensure that our state makes a commitment to schools so we lift up schools across Mississippi.
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. Should our state direct any taxpayer dollars to private schools, we must hold these schools accountable for the public funds that receive. I support strong accountability measures for all schools – public and private voucher schools.
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.
As the mother of two special needs boys, I understand the importance of fully funding special education programs. Again, full funding is a matter of setting priorities. Our state has sufficient resources, but our elected leaders have to make our public schools priority number one!
7. Do you agree that Mississippi should provide high quality early childhood education statewide?
I support early childhood education. I believe early education programs can help better prepare our children for kindergarten. These programs can also be quite helpful to young mothers. It’s important that we hold these programs accountable, however, we need to ensure these programs are working before investing too many resources in this area.
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?
Creating a business-friendly climate and keeping taxes low are critical to growing the job base in Mississippi and creating more higher-paying jobs. Improving our state’s roads and bridges will encourage more private sector investment in Mississippi and promote growth among existing Mississippi businesses. These are keys to reducing poverty and related stresses on Mississippi families. Additionally, funding for School Safety Officers is also one of my priorities to providing a safe learning environment. I also want to prevent out of state and out of district students attending our classrooms. This will help prevent overcrowding classrooms.
9. In the 2022 Legislative Session, a significant teacher pay raise was passed. Do you support continued pay increases to ensure that Mississippi’s teacher salaries keep pace with inflation and salaries in our neighboring states?
YES.
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. It’s not easy to serve in the legislature. Few employers are willing to allow an employee to take three months per year away from their regular work responsibilities. This leaves a limited pool of potential candidates for legislative office. Permitting retired state employees to serve in the legislature while drawing their pension broadens the pool of prospective candidates for the legislature and this is sorely needed.
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 will seek advice on education legislation from stakeholders – parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members, grandparents – any interested party who wants to better Mississippi schools.
As an appointee to a public education state board, I have been subject to pressure from well meaning leaders and groups. I have always kept the child’s best interest at the heart of my educational decisions. I plan to do the same for my constituents.
Progeorlan M. Walker, Sr. (defeated in primary)
1. What is your experience with K-12 public schools, personally and/or with your children or family?
I attended the public school system and graduated along with all my siblings and attended vocational training and college. My Mom and Aunts served in the public school system as educators and retired. Education is a key factor to bringing about the necessary changes that are needed in this technological world.
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.
I am for and fully support funding for MAEP. Every child deserves the right to a good education therefore funding public education is extremely important and creating positive, productive, and safe environments for them to learn in. I support raises for our teachers and administrators, and providing more resource officers to each school. Coming from a home where my mom was a teacher, teachers should never have to spend personal funds for materials in their classrooms. We must watch spending habits and ensure that funds are properly allocated where needed most which is our future generation. We must support school fundraising as well.
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?
I am certain that the State of Mississippi has the necessary funds to ensure its citizens are able to have productive lives. As stated before in the last question, we must watch our spending, budget properly, and not be wasteful of tax payers’ hard earned dollars. I will work to ensure that tax dollars are spent on our children’s education, and providing additional support by adding technical and or vocational programs to schools, for those students who do not wish to attend college, thus this will help every child succeed because of the resources they will have on hand.
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 will oppose vouchers. I believe we should be improving our state’s education system and moving students forward to a better quality of life. We have got to address the education system within our state and provide the resources and support needed for our students to flourish and get better results than what we have been getting.
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, each educational organization/ school should be held accountable if they receive taxpayer dollars from the State of Mississippi.
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.
Absolutely, every child regardless of age, race, gender, religion, national origin, and or disability has the right to a good education in an environment conducive for them and therefore funding should be allocated to these special needs students.
7. Do you agree that Mississippi should provide high quality early childhood education statewide?
I support early childhood education as early as age 3 and supporting the Headstart programs or similar programs in state, so that our children can advance earlier and a lot quicker. This will help ensure kids get a jump start to become successful in their field later in life.
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?
We must keep taxes as low as possible, increase wages with this current inflation, provide and bring to our state better jobs, and give incentives to these large corporations who put money back into local communities and churches. We must make sure that the campuses of our children are safe and secure, and providing more training officers to schools, and ensuring children are not bullied in schools because their parent(s) may or may not be able to afford them certain things.
9. In the 2022 Legislative Session, a significant teacher pay raise was passed. Do you support continued pay increases to ensure that Mississippi’s teacher salaries keep pace with inflation and salaries in our neighboring states?
Yes.
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 have spoken to and listened to teachers, principals, school administration, and parents and understand their needs, which is why my company has donated funds and items along with partnering with several different schools to ensure students and staff have what they need. As a legislator I will work hard and fight on their behalf to improve our schools and education system within our State.
As a public servant and community leader, both locally and state wide I understand pressure, and I’m not a stranger to it, therefore doing what I say and putting our children first will always be done. We must look to what is best the people that elected us and not we ourselves. Integrity and building healthy relationships is vital to the success of our future.
