On July 31, Columbia County residents will cast their ballots for school board. District 1 candidates Brian Slowinski, Daniel Deckle and Carolyn Chase, along with District 4 candidates Bobby Ray Strickland and Deborah Fisher, answer questions regarding the race, the issues and the qualities they plan on bringing to the table. District 4 incumbent Roxanne Whitaker could not be reached for an interview.
DISTRICT 1
BRIAN SLOWINSKI
Metro Spirit: What are the biggest problems in your school district?
Brian Slowinski: Well, we should actually plan better for the future since our budget changes every year. What I mean by that is the budget’s constantly jumping around, making it hard to plan. What that does is throw chaos into the schools because then you have to add positions or cut positions based on that. So, yes, I would say the budget is the main problem I see at the moment. We need to get the budget under control.
And the other thing would be to make sure that we focus on student achievement. Here in Columbia County, we have a lot of good students, but one of the things I do is help teach GED classes, and I like to make sure that everyone graduates high school; I think that is so important these days. So, I think we need to work on that [ensuring that kids graduate] as well as working on our alternative schools; make sure that those who attend alternative schools also don’t slip through the cracks.
Spirit: How do you hope to address major issues in the system once elected?
Slowinski: Well, I’m the former chairman of the Columbia County Republican Party and I’m on the State Committee for the Republican Party as well, and I’m also a district official for the 12th congressional district; I’m treasurer. So, I’ve dealt with a lot of legislators, I know them personally. One of the things I did as the new chairman of the party was open up a lot of communication that wasn’t there before and I believe that alone gives me a great advantage on my competition, because I know that I’ll have connections with legislators; I can just give them a phone call and have a meeting with them because I’ve already opened up a nice line of communication with them. I think those relationships will be vital when it comes to lobbying them.
Spirit: Why are you running?
Slowinski: Well, I have six children: I have a 14-year-old, 12-year-old, 10-year-old, 7-year-old and two 5-year-olds. And I want to make sure that they’re getting the best education possible and the only way to do that is to ensure that we have people in office that are making sure that money is being well-spent frugally. I’m a frugal person, so when it comes time to cut, teachers wouldn’t be first; they would be absolutely last if there’s cutting.
Spirit: What sort of background will you bring to the table?
Slowinski: Well, in addition to teaching GED classes, I’ve coached various types of teams over the years, I’m well educated myself and I have six children of my own that I work with constantly every day. I also have a financial background and a business background; I can help with financial forecasting to ensure that we aren’t cut short. I also think that I can offer a really good perspective on not only education, but politics in general. I know how politics work. I think the main thing when it comes to funding is that we have property taxes here, but we also have to go the state for the state’s funding. So, I think we need to look at the state’s formula and how that’s being done. And the best way to do that is to communicate with your legislators, and who better to do that than someone who’s already opened up a line of communication with them.
Spirit: Why are you best suited for this position as opposed to your opponents?
Slowinski: With me you’re going to get someone who helps create financial stability, consistency and communication. I come from a technology background as well and I would bring technology into the schools and utilize that in such a way that we’re saving money on books and other resources; for instance, there’s thousands of books that we could be using online that don’t cost us anything.
DANIEL DECKLE
Metro Spirit: What are the biggest problems in your school district?
Daniel Deckle: I think our biggest issues are dealing with the reduced funding from the state. Because of that, this fall, class sizes are going to increase. We’ve also lost a number of teachers due to layoffs and my perception is that we’re going in the wrong direction.
Spirit: How do you hope to address major issues in the system once elected?
Deckle: We’re going to continue to look under every rock to make sure that we’re using the money that we do have as efficiently as possible and spend that money on the right things; giving our kids a first class education being one of those things. Secondly, we need somebody that can lobby our state legislators to stop doing what they’re doing. Of course, everybody’s dealing with reduced budgets, but it seems like education — society’s most important function — isn’t being properly provided for. We’re talking about “we want better education,” yet if you look at the checkbook, it doesn’t seem to be a priority.
Spirit: Why are you running?
Deckle: Caroline, Anna, Audrey, Joseph and Walker. Those are my five children. I have five kids in this system, I’m a taxpayer and I understand the function of the board: which is to deal with the system’s budget and help create policy. I want us to have policies that help us promote and advance education with conservative values and I want to make sure that our money’s spent effectively.
Spirit: Why are you best suited for this position as opposed to your opponents?
Deckle: I believe I’m more qualified based on my education, experience, skillset and my leadership background. As an attorney, I make a living asking difficult questions and getting to the bottom of things. I will be an independent thinker on the board; I’m not going to silently sit back in order to get along with everyone. It’s my hope that what I bring to the table is going to make us a better board and a better system.
CAROLYN CHASE
Metro Spirit: What are the biggest problems in your school district?
Carolyn Chase: The biggest problem that I see would be the state budget cuts. Because last year we had $102 million and this year it’s down to $92 million. That’s a big cut.
Spirit: How do you hope to address major issues in the system once elected?
Chase: Let me just say that I’ve already seen the budget and as far as our county goes, I don’t know where else they can possibly cut. I’ve met with Pat Sullivan [controller at Columbia County Board of Education] and she’s walked me through each aspect of that budget. I think what I need to do as board member is too look in there [the budget] and see why the state is cutting so far back, because that’s a question as a parent that I want to know. So, that would be the first step toward addressing that problem.
Spirit: Why are you running?
Chase: The reason I’m running is because I really want to be able to give our school system the same amount of attention that I’ve given the four schools that I’ve worked at. Because I’ve been a substitute teacher, because I’m a parent and because I’ve been involved with the PTSO (Parent-Teacher-Student Organization) and the PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization), I really want to be able to be able to access our entire county’s school system instead of just the four schools that I have been able to. And I want to be able to share my experiences with them so that their schools can run better.
Spirit: What sort of background will you bring to the table?
Chase: I’ve been an involved parent. Second, I have knowledge of our school system because I’ve substituted in our classrooms. So, I’m familiar with not only the student-side of our system, but also the administrative-side and the parent-side.
DISTRICT IV
BOBBY RAY STRICKLAND
Metro Spirit: What are the biggest problems in your school district?
Bobby Ray Strickland: The administration is getting pay raises like crazy. Nobody notices that. Then, at the same time, they’re laying off teachers with the excuse being a lack of money. But all of the administrators have gotten a raise. They’re doing what they want to. They won’t tell you what’s right and what’s wrong. Now, I’m not going to tell you that I’m the smartest person in the world, but I got some people that know the inside real good. I’m a man that may not know everything, but I know where to find the answers.
Spirit: How do you hope to address major issues in the system once elected?
Strickland: Right now, they [the administrators] just give the superintendent so much leeway and quite frankly, the superintendent is looking forward to getting a raise. I come from a military background and there’s a term those in the military use called “two-digit midget.” That’s when a person gets real short and he doesn’t give a dang about anybody but himself. He’s got about two years before he’s going to retire and he’s looking forward to a $200,000 raise so that he can take $175,000 with him when he goes. Now, that may not seem like a lot to some people, but to the majority of people that’s a lot of money. So, I hope to bring that under control. That’s the main thing right now. If I can get on that, then at least they’ll be four out of five members that are new and he will not have control over that [his raise]. Right now, the board is supposed to be controlling it, but they’re not. They just think everything’s hunky-dory. They don’t really care or know what’s going on.
Spirit: Why are you running?
Strickland: There’s a lot of issues that I hope to resolve. For example, we got slush funds that built schools that are very elaborate in architecture. But, you got to cool those things down. They [those schools] should be more economical when they build them. But you also got the sheriff’s department to think about. We’re not working with the sheriff’s department and if we could help them out, the slush funds could pay for even just a small room for them as a substation [in schools]. By giving them that, we don’t need to pay people $50,000-$60,000 a year to be a guard. Just the mere presence of police officers would help stop a lot of the problems that the teachers are having. Teachers shouldn’t be concentrating on bullying and stuff like that. Teachers should be teaching.
Spirit: Why are you best suited for this position as opposed to your opponents?
Strickland: I think that I have more of an inside track than they do. I’ll admit that after hearing what Ms. Fisher has done for the system, I think that she’s done very well. If I wasn’t running, I would probably vote for her in a minute. But as far as the income and finances are concerned, no. They [the board] either don’t know what’s going on or they don’t care.
DEBORAH FISHER
Metro Spirit: What are the biggest problems in your school district?
Deborah Fisher: Budget cuts are the main issue. But increased classroom sizes is also an issue that I plan to address.
Spirit: How do you hope to address major issues in the system once elected?
Fisher: I hope to be able to provide a new vision and a new perspective on the agenda and the path forward. Hopefully my new perspective will offer some change in the way that we look at things and the way that we manage things.
Spirit: Why are you running?
Fisher: For most of my life, I’ve been serving my country and I’ve served my community and even today, I continue to volunteer for various organizations. And, along with that, I’m a professional educator and I know that I have a great deal to offer this office. I think considering all of those things, I have the tools to help our schools move forward.
Spirit: What sort of background will you bring to the table?
Fisher: I have looked over and studied a lot of the minutes from previous year’s [board] meetings. I have also talked with many people in the community that have children in schools and I’m always in contact with the PTA. So, my background in the area is mainly my contact with the community and my knowledge about current issues that are going on with the school board right now.
Spirit: Why are you best suited for this position as opposed to your opponents?
Fisher: Because I believe that right now, it’s a time for change and that more is required [from the school board]. I believe that our schools face so many challenges, with the growing population here in Columbia County, with increased classroom sizes, etc. In light of this, and with my experience and leadership and as an educator, I feel that I can bring something to the table that can help us grow throughout the 21st century.
I also have a very patient attitude and I listen; I’m a great listener. I find that being a great listener helps me in all of my involvements. I used to be a manager at Eisenhower Army Medical Center and I’ve managed so many people and sitting down and actually listening to people was probably the most effective tool that I could have had as a leader and as a manager. You Might Also Like:
