Six Jefferson and Shelby County school board candidates talk about their top priorities

Alabama voters can expect to include teachers, parents and other school board candidates on their ballots on November 5, but many will run unopposed.

Voters in two out of three counties with a school board or superintendent race will see a completely uncontested education ballot, AL.com found. This is a trend that is not uncommon in general elections.

“First of all, we’d like to think that people are happy with the direction the system is going, the direction the board and the superintendent are going,” Sally Smith, president of the Alabama Association of School Boards, told AL.com. “But second, this is a partisan election, and in most areas in Alabama, the more competitive races are in the primary.”

Statewide, 36 of about 150 open school board seats and just three of 24 local superintendent races are contested. Some counties are also considering changes that could impact voting patterns or education funding in the future.

AL.com reached out to about 30 candidates in contested school board and superintendent races across the state to learn about their education priorities.

Election day is Tuesday, November 5. Find more information about registration, sample ballots and candidates Here.

See responses from Jefferson County School Board candidates:

Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

District: Jefferson County Board of Education, District 1

Candidate’s name: Walter Curry (D)

Curry currently serves as the director of operations and technology for Fairfield City Schools. He also served as acting superintendent of the school system.

What are your top educational priorities that you plan to address in this position?

“Providing support to the Jeffco BOE on teacher and certified staff retention and recruitment strategies, promoting the continued development of career opportunities in the technology industry for all students, and assisting the school district in providing the highest quality education to the students we serve.”

District: Jefferson County Board of Education, District 1

Candidate’s name: Phillip Brown (right)

Brown is a graduate of Faulkner University with a technical education. He taught automotive technology classes in Jefferson County high schools for 22 years and taught Bible classes and trained ministers in churches for over 40 years.

What are your top educational priorities that you plan to address in this position?

“We must make our schools safe and conducive for children to learn and develop. We must improve our failing schools by working with parents and holding students accountable. We must strengthen our relationships with our children’s families to engage the community in our efforts to improve our schools.”

District: Jefferson County Board of Education, District 2

Candidate Name: Sultana Godwin (D)

Godwin is a graduate of Ensley Magnet High School, Lawson State Community College and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He has lived in West Jefferson County for 25 years. She is a registered nurse and former university instructor who has served on several professional boards. Godwin is an advocate for children with special needs and has two children in schools in western Jefferson County.

What are your top educational priorities that you plan to address in this position?

Godwin has stated that she intends to address the teacher shortage by advocating for higher pay for classroom teachers and bus drivers. He also wants to add more counselors and mental health programs to schools.

“Some students have difficulties in their education,” she added. “I would solve this problem by offering additional targeted education that takes place during and or after school. The school system my children attend has benefited from the programs they have implemented. I would like to implement these programs in all Jefferson County schools.”

District: Jefferson County Board of Education, District 2

Candidate’s name: Robert “Glenn” Durough (right)

Durough is a graduate of McAdory High School and Bessemer State Technical College. He ran a successful company, Advantage Air Inc., for 27 years. from the HVAC industry. From 2004 to 2020, he worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, primarily as a gun permit investigator. He is currently an assistant district attorney to Danny Carr.

What are your top educational priorities that you plan to address in this position?

“My priority is to keep results above average and replace old schools with newer facilities. McAdory is almost 100 years old!”

See responses from Shelby County candidates

District: Shelby County Board of Education, District 1

Candidate’s name: Julia Craig (D)

Craig graduated from Montevallo High School and received her Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Ashford University. She is the mother of local primary and secondary school students. She told AL.com she has experience in “working together to address and solve challenges and move organizations and systems to success.”

What are your top educational priorities that you plan to address in this position?

“The mental health challenges our students face every day are a very important issue that must be prioritized to ensure they receive the support and educational experiences they need to ensure their success. These challenges also have a profound impact on standardized test scores.”

Craig said she would also like to see all schools offer a life skills curriculum, financial literacy courses and higher-level academic programs, more funding for high-quality facilities and more accessible board meetings.

District: Shelby County Board of Education, District 1

Candidate’s name: Jennifer “JiJi” Davis (right)

Davis is an educator of 25 years and a graduate of Shelby County Schools. She worked as a local elementary school teacher and assistant principal for nine years and is now entering her 16th year as a professor at the University of Montevallo, where she trains pre-service teachers. Davis serves on the board of the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation and currently serves as program coordinator for elementary education, cooperative education and education for deaf and hard of hearing students.

He holds a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Montevallo and a doctorate in elementary education from the University of Alabama.

What are your top educational priorities that you plan to address in this position?

“My highest priority in this role is to support ALL students by helping to meet their educational, emotional, social and essential needs,” Davis wrote.

It also plans to prioritize listening to the needs of teachers and parents and will work with community stakeholders to ensure a safe learning environment for students. He believes it is important to stay up to date with educational strategies and resources that will best meet the needs of all students.

Statewide races

Four of the eight Alabama State School Board seats are up for re-election this year, but only one is contested. Board Vice Chair Tonya Chestnut, a Democrat, was unopposed in the primary and will face Republican opponent David Perry for the District 5 seat.

Incumbent Republican Jackie Ziegler was unopposed in the primary and will remain the representative of District 1. Two new faces, Dr. Allen Long AND Kelly Mooneyhe ran against several other Republicans last spring and will join the board this year.

District 5 covers Montgomery and much of the western Black Belt region. However, some counties may support multiple jurisdictions. Voters can check their state school district Here.