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Coffee County Voting Deadlines
Early Voting: July 15 - 30, 2022
General Election: August 4, 2022
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About me
I am a consulting hydrogeologist with a B.A. degree in Geology from the University of Montana and an MBA from the University of Colorado. I have two grown children and two grandchildren. I am activity in Coffee County social groups and organizing community activities.
School Boards Explained
In talking with parents, and even teachers, I've found there is some confusion on what duties and powers the School Board actually has. I did some digging in the Tennessee Code and other places and put together a video explaining what the overall purpose of a School Board is, what mandatory duties it has, and what discretionary powers it has. This was really an interesting video to do since I definitely learned a few things.
Where I Stand
As a candidate, it is really easy to talk in generalities about what you want to do if elected. Effective change requires taking a stand on the issues. I put together this video to give you the specifics of what I stand for and what I hope to accomplish on the School Board so you can make an informed decision on how you want to vote..
How to Access the School Board Agenda
A question I get from people is how do I access the agenda for the monthly Coffee County School Board meeting. It's easy if you know where to look and I show you how in this video.
Speaking Rules for Coffee County School Board
The challenge to getting parental involvement in Coffee County School Board meetings is the onerous requirements for speaking at the meetings. I'll cover the speaking requirements and why they need to change.
Introduction to the Dads in Schools Program
This is a brief introduction to the Dads in Schools and Dads on Duty programs that have successfully reduced violence in schools in other parts of the country. I think it can work here in Coffee County as well.
Improving Parental Access to the School Board
Some thoughts on how we can improve parents' access to the Coffee County School Board. These are my thoughts on some easy-to-implement actions and, as always, I'd like to hear your opinions.
Vocational Education Opportunities
Not every student is a college track student, yet with the proper vocation or technical training, these students can still have great opportunities for careers that are satisfying and rewarding, while at the same time benefiting the local economy. This is a win-win for both the student and the local community. We need to find a way to focus more resources on vocational and technical education in Coffee County. In this video, I throw out a few ideas, but am interested in hearing other ideas, also.
Meet the Candidate
A proper focus on education lays a solid foundation for success in life for students in the school system. I am a firm believer that schools need to concentrate on the educational needs of the students and leave out the social engineering aspect. With the limited time and resources of the school system, prioritizing mastery of education fundamentals and life skills is necessary to maximize the resources the school system has available to it.
2022 TCAP Results Part 1
In this video, we are going to look at the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) district levels rankings released in early July. The numbers do not look good either at a State level or in Coffee County. As always, I am interested in your thoughts.
2022 TCAP Results Part 2
Part 2 of our series on the 2022 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results. In this video we look at the trends and clearly see the negative impacts of the covid lockdowns on student learning. This is not something we can allow to happen again.
The Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022
In this video, I summarize the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 which deals with the process for reviewing and challenging objectionable materials in school libraries. The School Board is responsible for setting policy under the Act and it gives an opportunity for parents, students and teachers to come before the Board with a request to review and/or remove materials.
A Conversation with Coffee County Mayor Candidate Judd Matheny
Coffee County Mayor Candidate Judd Matheny took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the relationship between the school system and a healthy local economy. I think you will find the conversation both interesting and instructive.
Questions Parents Ask
Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of parents, and they have asked a lot of hard questions. I've picked some of these questions to discuss in this video.