We caught up with Richland 1 school board candidates. Here is what they want to do:
In Richland County’s last election of 2019, voters will approve the newest person to help improve education for 23,000 students.
As the New Year’s Eve election approaches, The State caught up with the five candidates for the at-large, Richland 1 school board position to ask about their qualifications and plans for the district.
The State emailed an identical list of questions to each candidate. Here is what they had to say:
Interviews have been edited for grammar and length. Candidates have been listed in alphabetical order.
Lady June Cole
Occupation: Former Allen University president, former public school teacher and college professor
Children: Two children, both who attended Richland 1 schools.
If elected, what would be your key priorities for the district?
My key priorities include retention and recruitment of quality teachers, improving school climate and infrastructure, and providing support for parents and administrators. The ultimate priority is to redesign school so that it is exciting for our youth and our employees, with innovative, future-focused curricula and 21st century technology.
What are your qualifications?
The qualifications I bring with me are, a clear understanding of the vision of the district, my public school teaching experience, the work I’ve done with training teachers and student teachers, and an insight into human development and social behavior. I have the disposition to collaborate with the board and our stakeholders and I am an active listener and advocate for our community. My leadership in the community and as a university administrator has allowed me to create relationships and sustain partnerships which will benefit our students.
What are some of Richland 1’s strengths?
Our greatest strength in Richland 1 is the large number of highly qualified teachers and staff. Richland One has some outstanding programs and schools that make it an attractive destination for many of our children. Examples might include the Heyward School, the International Baccalaureate program, Honors and Advanced Placement courses, STEM, and numerous clubs and activities and the use of Positive Behavior Interventions and Support.
Where does Richland 1 need to improve?
Richland 1 needs to make working in the District attractive. It also needs to improve in addressing the challenges of our at-risk students and in providing access to after-school programs for all students in all zip codes. Providing after-school buses will enable bus riders to participate in tutoring, after-school activities, and to learn those socialization skills that come with being positively involved in groups of peers. All employees should be paid competitive wages and supported by the administration, and parents should feel a sense of belonging and acceptance when they are in our schools, through “respectful accountability”.
Michelle Drayton
Occupation: Licensed Professional Counselor
Children: Two of her three children graduated from Dreher High School and her youngest is a sophomore at Dreher.
Volunteer work: School improvement council, PTA board and booster club boards
If elected, what would be your key priorities for the district?
My main priority will be to integrate mental health more into the schools for our children. There is a program called SEL, Social and Emotional Learning, that many other states are adopting and I would like to introduce that to the superintendent and have him introduce it to the State Department of Education. I would like to see a licensed counselor in each and every school in district 1, at all times to cater to students’ mental health needs and issues.
Another one of my priorities is equality across the district. Every child, at every school in district 1, should have the same opportunities as every other child in the district, regardless of school, neighborhood, or ethnicity.
What are your qualifications?
First, I worked as a community parent for Family Connection and my area to support families was the Richland 1 area. A community parent does home visits for a program named Project Breathe Easy and teaches families how to better care for their asthma. After a few years, I moved up to supervisor over the state. I worked at Family Connection of SC for 14 years.
I am trained in giving parents positive parenting strategies to help with their children at home and school. I am very familiar with the programs of Richland 1 and that is important when trying to give parents resources they can utilize for their child.
What are some of Richland 1’s strengths?
We have the Heyward school program that is giving children hands on experiences, and I believe Lower Richland added two more programs to that program to give their children more opportunities to graduate with a skill. We have middle college that allows children who want to either leave the high school scene or receive an Associates degree. We have the different choice programs on each level from elementary to high that highlight children`s strengths in science and engineering. There is also the virtual program that allows students to do some work at home and some work at school. For the older children, this allows them to work and go to school. This is also an important program for many of my clients who struggled with social anxiety.
Where does Richland 1 need to improve?
Richland 1 needs to improve in getting our children prepared for the next level. It is not enough to have a higher graduation rate if half of them aren’t ready to move on to a job or college after graduation. I think the district needs to improve on partnering with the 4k programs in the area and making sure they come to kindergarten with what they need.
Teacher support needs to improve drastically. Teachers need to be given autonomy over their classes and not pushed around by the testing and standards they are made to get done. I understand testing has to happen in order to see where a child is but there must be a way to take the pressure off of teachers.
Jonathan Milling
Occupation: Attorney
Children: Two sixth-grade students and two fourth-grade students, all of whom attend a Richland 1 school.
If elected, what would be your key priorities for the district?
I want to see more transparency in how the District operates. We need to be more open and engaging with the public. If we are transparent, then we are able to ensure accountability at all levels. Only then can we make sure that we are implementing programs that will best educate our students. We also need to do a better job of supporting our teachers and providing them the resources they need to educate our children. Additionally, we need to support our students and ensure they are safe, both from outside dangers and from bullying and other dangers within the school.
What are your qualifications?
As a lawyer, I represent individuals and businesses and as a part of that representation I ask questions and help evaluate how best to proceed to suit their needs. The role is the same as a School Board Commissioner. My job would be to represent the interests of the students, teachers, and public. I would ask questions and advocate for them so that we are proceeding in a manner which suits the needs of all involved — providing the best education to our children.
What are some of Richland 1’s strengths?
We have wonderful students, teachers, parents and administrators. We also have a tremendous community which we can draw upon to help our schools as we educate our children.
Where does Richland 1 need to improve?
As I noted above, we need to improve transparency and accountability. To do that we must do a better job of engaging the public and utilizing our tremendous community resources. We must listen to our constituents and try to implement their ideas. Our communities have been with our students and seen them grow and such an asset must be better utilized.
Johnny Ray Noble
Occupation: Pastor at Second Nazareth Baptist Church, retired Army Captain
Quote: As a community pastor, I have over 30 students from my congregation enrolled in the district. These young students are my priority and concern both spiritually and educationally.
If elected, what would be your key priorities for the district?
Improve student achievement and ensure every student is on a path to graduate and educationally equipped to lead a successful life; proactively address the teacher recruitment and retention issues that face the district, and support highly competitive pay for teachers, classified employees, and support staff; implement a strong response to bullying and school safety; develop strategies and a “whole child model” that support healthy families by adding social workers, behavioral interventionist, and mental health workers in all of our schools; expand the number of pre-K classrooms across the district to expose more students to early childhood learning experiences.
What are your qualifications?
As a U.S. Army veteran, college professor, and former elementary and high school teacher with an intense passion for education, I feel I can provide leadership to the school board and assist in paving a pathway for an awesome generation of young people to make a positive impact in the world. My teaching experience in Louisiana and Texas provides an opportunity for fresh approaches and innovative perspectives on our school board. For the past 11 years, I have been an active volunteer and supporter of the district. As a community leader, I’ve gained firsthand knowledge about the specific issues that affect our schools and I believe I have some ideas to help improve the system for our parents, children and educators.
What are some of Richland 1’s strengths?
The emergence of choice within the system with the Montessori, Magnet, Middle College, Heyward Career and Technology, language, International Baccalaureate, world languages and ESOL programs, and Virtual School Program.
Where does Richland 1 need to improve?
Student achievement in reading and in math in early childhood education; engaging the stakeholders (parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community leaders) to develop cohesive community support and equitable practices in Richland 1 School District; teacher retention, recruitment, and support; fiscal management and allocation of resources to critical needs areas.
Ashlye V. Wilkerson
Occupation: Educator, franchise co-owner of Wine & Design Columbia
Children: Two daughters, ages three and five.
Volunteer work: Junior League of Columbia, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Rotary International, Jack & Jill of America, Winthrop University board of trustees member and the founder of The Magic of Learning Foundation
If elected, what would be your key priorities for the district?
My key priorities include further development of early childhood opportunities, partnerships with community services to serve our children prior to school enrollment, championing support for teachers and increasing our retention rate, increasing mental health support in schools, collaborative efforts among all key stakeholders, enhancing college and career preparation.
What are your qualifications? How will this experience or training help you to be the best person for the job?
After graduating from Winthrop University with a Bachelor of Science and Hampton University with a Master of Arts in Teaching, I returned home to Richland School District One to begin my professional career at Hyatt Park Elementary School as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher. Since leaving the district, I have worked extensively within the field of education in the teacher preparation program in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina. At the age of 29, I was voted by the SC General Assembly to serve on the Board of Trustees at Winthrop University where I gained 7 years of higher education policy experience. I am now completing my Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina with a focus on teacher retention. I have 7 years of educational policy experience serving on the Board of Trustees at Winthrop University (since the age of 29 as the youngest and only woman of color).
What are some of Richland 1’s strengths?
The district recently attained the highest graduation rate in the history of the district and also closed the gap with the state of South Carolina on the majority of their assessment measures. Additionally, the district offers a variety of rich programs to meet the needs and career goals of our students such as the Language Immersion, Medical Magnet, Middle College, along with the offerings of Heyward Career & Technology Center and individual schools throughout the district.
Where does Richland 1 need to improve?
The district needs to continue to close the gap on student assessments, provide culturally relevant curriculum training across the district, develop additional community partnerships for early childhood services to increase the percentage of students who are ready to begin school, and enhance the support offered to teachers while increasing teacher retention rates.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 1:45 PM.