Candidates for Williamson County School Board District 1 RICHARD DAVIS- Questionnaire Responses
Email contact: davisclaninlf@comcast.net
1. What do you think are the primary roles and responsibilities of the Williamson
County School Board (WCSB)? How do you describe the authority of the
WCSB?
The WCSB has the responsibility to govern all aspects of Williamson County public
education in an open transparent means; providing honest and sincere support for the
Williamson County Superintendent of Schools and his or her attendant staff members;
supporting teachers and other school staff members; listening to the public with their
accolades or concerns about specific situations; and above all else having the interest
of all students throughout our great county.
The authority with its attendant duties and powers are outlines in Tennessee Code
Annotated 49-2-203. The authority to make decisions concerning our schools and
other items coming before the Board is obviously given to the board by the
Williamson County Electorate. We as a board must remember the young students in
our WCS come FIRST. The WCSB does not have the authority to go beyond what is
outlined in the Code. However, this does not preclude the Board from using a plain
common sense approach to governing and making decisions. We must learn to listen!
2. Currently Williamson County Schools (WCS) has been designated as one of the
Intermediate Districts in Tennessee (2nd highest category tanking). Tennessee’s
three measured areas include raising proficiency levels, narrowing achievement
gaps and guaranteeing growth for all students. If a member of the WCSB, what
would you wan to see happen in an effort to achieve the designation of an
Exemplary School District (the highest category ranking)?
I will do my best to see that all students and all schools be given the same
opportunities to learn regardless of where the school is located. Students in all
Williamson County Schools should be given the same opportunity to excel and learn.
I have said in open forums, I want to see the business community in all of Williamson
County step up to the plate and provide students with the opportunity to learn how a
business operates thereby providing the young men and women an opportunity to
learn business practices. I think it would be great for our school system to be
designated as an Exemplary Schools District. At the same time, I do not believe this
should be the sole basis or the driving force about education in Williamson County.
3. Besides funding, what do you think makes the biggest difference in student
advancement? Please list at least three and no more than five key factors.
1 and 2: Parental involvement, in my humble opinion, is the KEY factor in the
biggest difference in student involvement and the students’ work ethic. We as a board
may not be able to control a child’s home life. However, we must stand ready to assist
children who are in desperate need of care.
3: We are fortunate to have a highly skilled and motivated group of teachers in the
WCS. We as a board should do everything in our power to recognize our teachers.
4. Should standardized student tests and/ or assessments associated with
percentage of the student’s grade be available for parental review? Please
explain.
One of the basic requirements for the WCSB to be a recognized as an outstanding
board is exercising transparency. We as parents want to know how our children are
progressing and how we might assist them in achieving an outstanding education in
the WCS. So to answer the question should information about student tests and/ or
assessments with a percentage of the student’s grade be available for parental review
is a resounding YES. And that YES means both before and after testing. Is testing
relevant?
5. Should standardized student test results be used in teacher evaluations to
determine pay increases for teachers and/ or teaching and leadership position
promotions? If yes, please explain. If no, what should determine a teacher’s pay
increase and/ or promotion? What other ways would you want to reward great
teachers?
The results of statewide mandated testing could be used for teacher evaluations to
reach a recommended pay increase for teachers; but only a part of the equation at
reaching the pay increase or promotion possibilities for teachers. I am in favor of
rewarding our teachers for how they perform day in and day out in the classroom.
Most of us remember the teachers in our past who truly wanted to help us learn. We
must be able to recognize those teachers whose first interest is teaching our future
leaders. Most teachers would be greatly honored to be recognized by their peers first
and then by the school administration. Of course, a pay increase is always appreciated
and in most cases needed.
6. Do you believe that WCS can exhibit better transparency/ accountability in the
use of financial resources? Please explain your answer.
When I am elected as the First District representative on the Williamson County
School Board, after an appropriate time of learning, it will be my intention to make
sure our annual budget is available to every tax payer, every parent, and other
interested parties. The Williamson County School System is owned by the
stockholders of our great County. It belongs to everyone. Every stockholder has the
right to know. The Williamson County Board of Commissioners and the Williamson
County Mayor and his staff do a great job of providing financial assistance to the
WCSB.
7. What do you believe to be the top three capital needs for the future of WCS?
The top three capital needs for the future of WCS will be property acquirement and
buildings, school buses, and a building for the Superintendent of Schools and his staff.
And, sooner or later we will have to add another school bus garage or plan to enlarge
that campus on West Main Street. Growth is definitely going to continue in our
county. How we meet and plan for that continued growth will test our board and drive
us to find new and creative ideas as how we handle the growth. And, we should not
forget we have some very old school buildings in our system now that needs to be
replaces or renovated.
8. Will you do anything, or have you done anything, with the selection of WCS
curriculum? Please explain.
I have not done anything with the selection of WCS curriculum other than as a
concerned parent of two in the WCS. I will as the Frist District School Board member
look for different avenues for students; both those going on to higher learning levels
or those not attending college. There is a new program at Fairview High School, the
Mechatronics Program, which is a good example. I know our gifted program in the
Williamson County School Systems needs more and I will try to assist in that effort
and try to make sure the curriculum is satisfactory.
9. How do you believe the WCSB should be managing the privacy and safety issues
of students?
Privacy and safety issues of students must be at the forefront of the Board’s attention
along with each school principal working in harmony with the Board of Education
Office. Parents should be able to access and see any material held by the school
system involving their children including material captured by security video
equipment. I believe our Williamson County Sheriff’s Department School Resource
Officers are critical to the safety of all in any particular school building; students,
teachers, staff members, and others in the building.
10. According to the Tennessee State Department of Education’s Report card on
their website, there were 10.4% (4,107 pupils) special needs students in school
year 2014-2015. This number is projected to increase yearly, what should WCSB
consider doing to best address this population?
I question, as a parent and as a future school board member, why gifted students are
classified along with disabled students. The time now involved in placing severe
behavioral problem students should be shortened to realistic needs. I believe a
committee or a group appointed by the WCSB should be formed to look into the
needs of disabled and gifted students in OUR school system for directions that are not
dictated nor funded by the state. If nothing else, it could provide the WCSB tools to
help individual behavioral need students and gifted students.
11. Do you support using Williamson County taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyist to
lobby our State Legislative Delegation. Please explain why you do or don’t
support tax dollars being spent this way.
There are statewide associations for school boards, county commissioners, and other
elected officials. Each association has dues paid by county tax dollars for each
member. Each association hires their own executive director. Each association
executive director acts a lobbyist. That is not directly. They work with our State
elected Representatives and Senators and those elected by other counties. The dues
paid by our county for all these elected officials to be members of these associations
comes back to us many times over to our county. There are times when our school
board may feel the need to have special attention on behalf of our school system.
There may be a need for a lobbyist; this has happened to our county in the past and
the results for our county were most discernable!!
12. Please identify what you consider priority items and issues not addressed in this
questionnaire.
Our Williamson County School Bus/ Transportation is always in need of more
qualified school bus drivers. Many days, drivers have to cover two routes. We, the
WCSB, need to identify answers and provide solutions; not just questions of why.
I would like to explore the idea of creating core group campus arrangements for new
schools that would satisfy the needs for elementary, middle and high schools on one
campus.
The most conversed topic in needs or woes of our county and its municipalities is the
traffic and growth. We as a board are going to have to think outside the box to
continue to provide our students with the quality education we as parents expect.
Maybe some of the crazy ideas I have heard around the first district are not too crazy
and those ideas that some would scoff at will provide the impetus for a great idea.
ANGELA DURHAM – Did not respond