Republican candidates for Bartow County School Board Districts 2 and 3 faced off at the Carl Boyd Post American Legion Monday night on topics ranging from improving literacy to financial transparency and millage rates.
The forum was divided into three sections: introductions, questions from the public, and questions to each other. The Republican primary is May 19. The last day to register to vote is April 20.
The full video can be found here.
Introductions
Darla Branton Williams, school board incumbent for District 2, said she sees the heavy responsibility of making decisions to improve education.
“I do not take the role lightly,” she said. “As some of the previous board members can tell you, it’s not an easy role.
Frank Bennett, a pastor who said he was an educator for 12 years and a District 2 candidate, said making good decisions comes from having the right priorities.
“We are going to make sure the kids are first and the teachers have what they need for success,” he said.
Jeff Holland, an engineer and a fifth-generation Bartow County resident is running for District 3. He said he has three focus areas.
“The main things are the students, teachers, and taxpayer accountability,” he said.
David McKalip, a local neurosurgeon running for District 3, said his goals as a school board member are simple.
“My goals are to work for better schools and lower taxes,” he said.
Deanna Evans Berry, a business professional running for the District 3 seat, said she knows how to create budgets and that is critical for the board.
“I care deeply about the schools. Over the past years, I’ve also seen several areas we can definitely make improvements,” she said.
Public Questions
One of the most debatable questions was whether each candidate would commit to not raising the millage rate that puts taxation above the cost of inflation. Williams and McKalip said they would commit to that while Bennett, Berry, and Hollard said they couldn’t make that promise.
“I think that is a very dangerous promise to make as a candidate,” Berry said. “I will do whatever is the lowest rate that is responsible for our budget and doesn’t affect our classrooms
Holland said that promise can’t be made because school board members approve a budget before they know the tax digest numbers.
“You are kind of putting the cart before the horse,” he said.
Bennett said promising to a set millage rate doesn’t take future events into account. He said seniors will one day likely be fully exempt and homestead exemptions should be how school taxes are lowered. Yet, it isn’t just residents taxes to consider.
“We have to think of the kids first and that they have what they need. We have to think about teachers and that they have what they need as well,” he said. “You can still continue to adjust that at will but if you keeping driving down the millage rate, that’s less money from industry.”
McKalip said high taxes don’t equate to good education and he is committed to streamlining money where it can be used best and that is directly in the classroom.
“The citizens have been getting 10 to 20 percent tax hikes every year for about 10 years,” he said. “They are getting broken by the massive tax hikes.”
Williams said taxpayers have had enough and the board must do better.
“Taxpayers are suffering and they are still going to go up. Property values are still going to increase,” she said.
A question was asked about each candidate goals and what they would like to change, if elected. Holland said he wants better literacy scores. Berry said she wants to work on literacy rates because reading sets students up for success. McKalip said he wants more accountability in the budget and to teachers. He wants the board to listen and involve teachers more in decisions.
Williams said she wants to see more academic improvement in her alma mater, Cass High School. She wants to see what Mississippi did to dramatically improve their literacy rate and find out what could work in Bartow.
Bennett said improving the system should start at visiting other successful districts and identifying their methods that make them successful.
A question was raised about what improvements could be made that doesn’t equate to more tax money.
Bennett said improving younger teacher mentorship with experienced teachers and promoting a Professional Learning Center for educators to continue updating their knowledge and skills.
Williams said adding more Reading to Grow programs and similar ones, along with a peer helping program.
McKalip said school board members should see the full budget to make better decisions. He said they currently get a one-page budget summary when the budget is more than 100 pages.
Holland said he would like to add to STEM programs and Berry said she wants to have more parents partnering with the schools.
Questions about how to improve the school system brought a variety of answers. Holland said the process should be to plan, implement and adjust when it comes to new programs. Berry said she wants to involve the parents and the community, along with expanding student-community leader mentorship programs.
McKalip said the board needs a different relationship with teachers where they are asked for opinions and can come to the board with concerns. He said he wants to look at how money is spent because the $312 million budget has doubled with no improvement in student academic scores.
Bennett said the system should encourage parents reading to their children. Williams said students learn by habit, by repetition and that style of teaching should be encouraged in basic academics.
Questions to Each Other
Each candidate had an opportunity to question each other. Williams was asked what she had accomplished in her time on the school board. She said she is proud of her record, although she is one of five members and often finds herself a minority. One of her biggest efforts is to ensure sexually explicit books aren’t in the schools.
Bennett was asked what the board should do differently. He said the school board should continue with improvements and seriously looking at the budget.
Holland was asked what skills or experiences would be beneficial to a school board member. He said understanding how budgets work and using gentle leadership to unite the board.
Berry was asked how she would improve literacy. She said identifying students with challenges early to get them into remediation.
McKalip was asked about an interview he did at WBHF Radio about school programs that focused on negative aspects of white people. He said the question was out of context and Bartow County schools doesn’t have such programs while systems elsewhere do. He said he would work to ensure this county never implements those types of programs.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S, Canada, the UK and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio. She is on Facebook, X, YouTube, content on Substack, and has a podcast on Rumble.