Meet-the-candidate forums kick off with Sumter school districts 3, 8, 9; top quotes from 8 of the participants on Tuesday
All nine Sumter school board seats are up for election in November, and the leading teacher group with Sumter School District hosted its first of three candidate forums on Tuesday night at Sumter High School.
The district Teacher Forum, composed of current and immediate-past campus teachers of the year, organized each forum to consist of candidates from three districts (alternatively called areas), and all candidates will receive the same five questions selected based on importance from internal employee surveys.
In this election cycle and moving forward, Sumter School District's Board of Trustees is transitioning from seven single-member districts and two at-large seats to nine single-member districts, based on legislation from the Sumter County Legislative Delegation.
Tuesday's forum at the Sumter High School Auditorium included the eight candidates from districts 3, 8 and 9, which represent much of the City of Sumter.
Two incumbent board members were represented in Johnny Hilton (district 3) and Sherril Ray (district 8). No trustees live in the new district 9, so there is no incumbent in that race.
About 60 people attended Tuesday.
The forums continued on Wednesday at Lakewood High School (districts 4, 5 and 6) and will conclude tonight at Crestwood High School (districts 1, 2 and 7), beginning at 6 p.m.
THE 5 QUESTIONS AND FORMAT
To begin each night's panel discussion, school board candidates were given time for a brief introduction. Then, candidates had a two-minute limit to answer each question, all in rotating order.
The five questions are the following:
1) What do you see as the No. 1 goal to build trust and transparency?
2) What are your thoughts about the discipline issues in our schools?
3) What do you plan to do to make Sumter School District more attractive to potential employees in terms of improving salaries for all employees?
4) With the massive teacher shortage, current teachers are stretched thin to the point that many might leave. What will you do to address the concerns of your current teachers and to ensure that they remain in Sumter?
5) Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the Board of Trustees?
TOP QUOTES FROM EACH CANDIDATE ON TUESDAY
District 3 race
The Rev. Ralph Canty
On discipline issues in our schools
Discipline is a critical issue in the classroom every day. I call for a Committee on Civility to include our teachers and stakeholders in our community to actually come up with a plan that teaches things that will really work in solving this problem. ... But, I say this, one of the things we've got to do is stop making the alternative school a retreat. It needs to be more like a boot camp. It needs to be operated by some ex-drill sergeants, by the ROTC.
On how to address the teacher shortage and ensure they remain in Sumter
As a community, we must understand that our growth hinges on what happens in the classroom, what happens in our schools. We can be a greater community than we are. People are coming to North Carolina and South Carolina, but many of them are not coming to Sumter because of our educational system. We need to value our teachers. We need to listen to our teachers, and we need to allow our teachers to lead us through this dark period of our existence.
Johnny Hilton
On discipline issues in our schools
We must raise our expectations for what is appropriate behavior. As a teacher, principal and parent, I have seen the effects of raising expectations for behavior and academic performance. Human beings will rise to the level of what is expected, and they will fall to the level of what is allowed. Likewise, as we expect more, we need to provide more assistance in the form of counseling, mental health services and academic assistance to those who need it.
On why he is best candidate
More importantly than my degrees and work experience is the question of who I am. Who is Johnny Hilton, anyway? Well, I think he is a Dad who loves his family and his friends. I think he is a guy who loves working with children, parents, teachers and administrators. I think he is a guy who calls the balls and strikes the way that he sees them, and sometimes those calls are not popular. I think he is a guy who is not afraid to speak up for what he thinks is in the best interest of children in our district.
District 8 race
Phil Leventis
What do you see as the No. 1 goal to build trust and transparency?
A meaningful dialogue between the board and the public, including industry and business as well as parents, is essential. The root of trust in our system and transparency starts with the school board.
On why he is best candidate
I have a proven record of working in public interests and corroborating with others to find solutions to complicated problems. Having graduated from public schools myself, my wife and I having shepherded our four children through the public schools of Sumter and now we are helping them with their children's education, I am ready to work for a brighter future for Sumter through a high-achieving public school system. Being elected to the school board is a high honor. Much more significantly, it is a great responsibility.
Sherril Ray
On discipline issues in our schools
Discipline is a major problem in our schools, and it does need to be corrected immediately. It is one of the biggest concerns brought to me on a regular basis. We do students a disservice if we don't have high expectations for their behavior, and if we don't teach them the expectations for behavior and what is acceptable in our society. The board and the administration need to review the present code of conduct and make revisions that are needed to get students back under control.
How to improve salaries for all employees
Sumter School District does not pay equal salaries to those of the surrounding districts. We want to be competitive, but we also want to be fair because our staff is doing the same job as the employees in other districts, and they are making less money. The salary study that has been approved by the board will give us more information about changes that need to be made for all staff. The school board must also establish a good working relationship with county council for funding purposes.
Paul Robbins
On how to address the teacher shortage and ensure they remain in Sumter
The teachers need to be able to speak to whom they need to speak to, including the board members, to let them know what their concerns are. As a board member, my phone is always open and email is available. But we do need to listen, and we do need to react. But the biggest thing is the board needs to earn the trust of these teachers. The teachers need to be able to trust that the board will be there for them and help them with their concerns.
On why he is best candidate
I believe I am the best candidate for the board because I am a concerned citizen, and a parent of a child who graduated from Sumter High School. In my work as a banker, I understand financial statements, I understand audits, I understand areas that need to be reviewed and looked at for savings. But also, I have been a member of many boards in Sumter, including Sumter Habitat for Humanity, and I have been chair of the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce. I understand how boards work, I understand when decisions have to be made.
Jeff Zell
On how to address the teacher shortage and ensure they remain in Sumter
"Recently, I read a study about why teachers are leaving the profession. Although teacher pay and benefits are very important, that was not the chief reason why teachers were leaving. It was the lack of support from the administration, excessive paperwork, meetings, bureaucratic things are what is getting in the way. So, we have got to look at every level of bureaucracy and everything that we can to make sure these teachers can just focus on teaching, and I think that would make a world of difference.
On why he is best candidate
"If you keep voting for the same thing, you keep getting the same thing, and I am here to offer a clear and concise alternative to the voters in Area 8 against the status quo. I believe Sumter's best days are ahead of us if we can just get the right people with the right ideas on this board. So, we can make the hard decisions that need to be made to propel Sumter County schools in the direction that all the stakeholders need."
District 9 race
Bonnie Disney
What do you see as the No. 1 goal to build trust and transparency?
To build trust, Sumter School District and the board members must build social and working relationships with the various members of our community. You see, trust is built over time, and the school board must put in the effort. Transparency means that you can see what is happening. And, sometimes, actions unfortunately speak louder than words. When a board decides not to allow the public as members of the committees, then that says something very negative regarding transparency.
On why she is best candidate
I have a background not only in education, but a legal background also. I have worked as a consultant. I have been employed by the state Department of Education to work in underperforming schools, and I have served for four years on the state Board of Education. I know education from the top to the bottom, and I am willing to spend the time and effort to make Sumter School District what it can be.
Reginald "Reggie" Evans
How to improve salaries for all employees
To increase teachers' pay right now is to increase their net pay - their bring-home pay. One of the things I put on my platform was that we get the state to exempt teachers' pay from state income tax. Our Speaker of the House [Rep. Murrell Smith] talked about how he got military retirement pay exempt from tax income. If we do the same thing for teachers and other retirees, that is going to increase net bring-home pay.
On why he is best candidate?
I cannot make no promises or guarantees. All I can say is, "By His will, I will do the best that I can." I am running for both school board and the city council. If I do not accomplish any of the things that I said I was going to do, I will not seek re-election. Nor, if I don't see that I am going to accomplish the things that I put on my platform, I will resign no later than mid-term.