Board of Ed. Candidate Q&A – Kristie Shankles

News

Thursday, 25 July 2024 09:16

Each candidate running for public office was asked to answer a set of questions for publication.
Below are answers from candidates running for Scottsboro Board of Education.

1. Why did you decide to run for the school board?
I went into education to make a difference in the lives of children. That is my life’s mission and I work each day ensuring children are provided with opportunities to be successful in their chosen pathways. Our children are the future of our community and our most valuable resource.
The world of education is rapidly changing and an educator is most qualified to understand educational decision-making. It is important to have educator voices on the board as decisions are made that directly impact faculty and staff. Having been in business management prior to education, I have a firm understanding of both views. My current work with districts statewide is to identify areas for improvement, which has prepared me to serve my hometown. I have prided myself on making decisions regardless of personal or political friendships. I always remain steadfast in being willing to make hard decisions even when it is unpopular.

2. What do you see as the biggest issue facing the Scottsboro BOE and how do you intend to solve that issue?
One major issue statewide is the retention and recruitment of highly qualified faculty and staff due to loss of funding. The combination of the ESSER (COVID) funding ending in September and the enactment of several new education laws such as ANA-Act 2022-249, Principal’s Act-SB300, Teachers Bill of Rights-SB157 and the Parent’s Right to Know Act-SB48 will have immediate impact on education at all levels. In regard to teacher and administrative recruitment, it is important to develop and maintain partnerships with Colleges of Education and have personnel attend job recruitment events. There must be an intentional focus to fill all open positions with the most qualified academic personnel.
Ensuring retention of trained, qualified faculty and staff is critical for the overall culture and climate of the system. With the loss of ESSER funds, it is important to determine additional ways to support employees with professional development and resources. I am advocating for quarterly employee job satisfaction surveys to determine areas of improvement.

3. Do you support the Public Comments Policy enacted by the BOE in March 2024? Why or why not?
I believe that transparency and open communication is the cornerstone of a healthy system. Decisions and discussions should be subject to public scrutiny to ensure a balance of multiple viewpoints. I am advocating for live streaming and recording of all work sessions and board meetings. Although meeting minutes are posted as approved, I would like to see a direct link on the main page of the SCS website to allow for ease of public access. I believe that it is beneficial for town hall meetings periodically to have a more informal opportunity for the public to ask questions.
In reviewing the Open Meetings Act along with multiple districts board policies regarding public comment, there is a wide range of policy adoption. The State Board of Education allows for public hearing 30 minutes prior but only on current agenda topics while one district requires a 6 day prior notification. In my review of district policy manuals, this is a current and unfortunate trend with the majority of districts utilizing a five-day request. While I believe that most concerns can be addressed and resolved prior to escalation, there are potential missed opportunities to ensure open dialogue.
I believe that guidelines surrounding comments towards employees and students must be consistently adhered to, due to legal and ethical implications. A board member serves as the judicial appeals review for student/employee disciplinary concerns and therefore, can not comment or have prior knowledge of a case that would bias their ability to deliberate during a potential appeals process in the event of student or employee disciplinary action .

4. Do you support the proposed SRO agreement between the City of Scottsboro and the BOE? Rather than having 5 part-time officers (2 paid by the City), the BOE will reimburse the City $100,000 per year in salaries/benefits for 2 full-time, city-employed officers instead, in addition to the BOE’s 3 part-time retired Officers.
The safety of our children is the single most important issue in a school setting. With the tragic headlines from across the nation, SROs are critical to providing a proactive, preventative approach. While I believe that it is important to limit potential threats and have a strong safety presence, I am concerned about the financial implications of the school system funding an additional $100,000 in salary/benefits. With ESSER (COVID) funding ending, we must exercise extreme caution in long-term personnel commitments. While there can never be a price tag on safety, we should explore multiple avenues that allows for maintaining a quality safety mechanism while being fiscally responsible.
I would like to see an employee evaluation / data collection, created jointly by SCS and City of Scottsboro that addresses the unique role of SROs, to inform and evaluate assignments of city employees as SROs and allow for objective determination of job performance. I would encourage SCS to pursue grant funding ensuring all SROs attend TAASRO each year for new state training and school safety laws.