The six candidates for Lowndes County School District Superintendent of Education will square off to answer questions April 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Nissan Auditorium at Mississippi University for Women. The Lowndes County Association of Educators is hosting the public forum to have candidates discuss issues of importance to LCSD.
LCAE, an organization of teaching professionals in the county, has been collecting questions from parents, teachers and community leaders in preparation for the forum. All of the questions will be pre- set, and all candidates will answer all questions.
Nationwide, about 99 percent of all school districts appoint superintendents, but Lowndes County elects a superintendent. Six candidates have qualified to run in the election. All six candidates have agreed to attend: Sam Allison (R), Rusty Greene (I), Roger Hill (I), Edna McGill (R), Cliff Reynolds (D) and Lynn Wright (R).
The primary election is set for Aug. 2, when several countywide offices will also be up for election. The top vote getters from the primaries will challenge the independent candidates in the general election, Nov. 8.
LCAE sees the election as an opportunity for the community to become more involved in the school system. “Most districts don”t get to have a say in who leads their schools. This leaves us with a real responsibility as voters to make sure we get it right. We are all essentially the interview committee, and we need to hire someone with knowledge, ability, and wisdom to lead us in the right direction,” said Allison Barnette, event organizer for LCAE. “LCAE wants to empower teachers and community members to work together for the good of all the children.”
Barnette says that many media outlets criticize today”s education systems and education professionals, but Lowndes County has hard- working teachers and staff members at each campus. “We work hard to deserve the trust that parents give us. We also know that it is vitally important to the community to graduate students who are prepared to be productive citizens and lifelong learners. We expect to have a good relationship with whomever the people elect.”
Barnette encourages those who would like to submit questions to contact her at [email protected] and enter “Candidate Question” in the subject heading box.
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