Sulphur Springs, Como-Pickton school forum held

A school board election forum, hosted by the Hopkins County Republican Party was held Thursday.

The event, drawing several dozens of interested persons, was held at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center.

Donnie Wisenbaker, Hopkins County Republican Party chair and State Republican executive committeeman for Senate District 1, welcomed attendees. Jim Thompson served as moderator at the function.

Three of the four candidates on May 6 Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees election ballots participated in the forum. In attendance were Darla Reed, Adam Teer and Earvin “Erv” Larry, Jr.

Candidates drew for places to answer questions at random within a time limit.

Teer, the general manager of Clarion Pointe Hotel, asked the crowd to vote for him in the May 6 election. He said he was a product of the Sulphur Springs school district, attending from kindergarten through grade 12, and now has four children in the district.

Reed is a former classroom worker at both Como-Pickton and Sulphur Springs.

Larry is a 2002 Sulphur Springs graduate and served 17 years in the US Air Force, and is now a program manager at L3 in Greenville.

The first question for the Sulphur Springs candidates concerned two recent failed bond issues. The candidates agreed that new schools are needed in Sulphur Springs.

'Sulphur Springs is growing, there's no stopping it,” Reed said. “We need to get new schools. I backed the bonds.'

Teer said he was against the first bond issue but supported the second one because the amount asked for was reduced. He expressed concerned, however, that neither bond proposition addressed future needs of the district.

The candidates were asked about the role of the superintendent and that of the school board in the Sulphur Springs ISD.

Reed said the superintendent should be the leader and held accountable. Running the district should be a team effort, she said.

Teer said he supports the role of the superintendent, but believes the person in that position must cast the vision for the district. The school board’s role is accountability and to bring the opinions of the community to the s chool administrators.

Larry agreed the superintendent is the leader, but is part of a team. The job of school board members is to represent the wishes of the community.

The issue of gender equality was raised. The question was presented how would you feel about a student using the school restroom of the opposite sex.

Teer said, 'That is why we have legal counsel. We should consult the school board attorneys.'

Larry said he was not for it and the rule should stay the way it is.

Reed said she would not like a student of the opposite sex in the restroom, especially not as the mother of a daughter in the school.

When asked how they’d approach discipline issues in the classroom at school, the candidates had the following remarks.

Teer said, 'Ask the teacher about what specifically is going on. The teachers don't feel supported. They are trying to be educators and teach a curriculum that they're probably very passionate about, but can't because they're dragged down with discipline issued. We need to find out why teachers don't feel supported. I want to walk the halls and talk to them, and see where the problem lies.'

Larry said he agrees that parents and teachers need to communicate about classroom discipline problems. “We need to support the teachers in this issue,” Larry said.

'Teachers need support, from the top all the way down,” said Reed, a former classroom teacher.

The candidates were asked their top three priorities for SSISD. Larry said his are transparency, being a fair board and increasing pay for teachers.

He continued, 'We’ve just got to find a way to pay teachers more.'

Reed listed her priorities as teacher recruitment and retention — finding a way to keep teachers at SSISD; for the school and the board to be more transparent about funding; and to make teachers happy so they will stay in our district.

Teer said with a grin, 'No. 1 I want to take back the title of ‘ best school in the county' from Como-Pickton.' He said teacher pay is his second priority.

'I taught my kids during COVID and teachers should be making $750,000,” Teer said with a laugh. “ Teachers here are leaving at a 17% rate, so teachers have a one in five chance of not being with the district next year.”

Candidates were asked if they’d received endorsements or taken any donations for their campaign. All three SSISD candidates in attendance answered no.

They were then asked what school district or community organizations they have volunteered for or been involved with recently.

'This is some long list,” Teer said, focusing on one group that has hid continued dedication and admiration. “ I have been active with Lake Country CASA and been an advocate for seven children as a volunteer. We are blessed to have the people involved, like the attorneys and CPS.”

He further noted that he’d had the pleasure of seeing two youth adopted into forever homes.

Larry said, 'I volunteer with youth sports, including basketball and football, and have for two years.” He noted that he and his wife participated in a program, helping out in the classroom and adopting classroom teachers to help out. They started with two and have over that time adopted five teachers.

'PTO is big at our school. I've taken lunch to teachers and covered classrooms,” Reed noted. “ I’m a band parent and we're doing great. I got to travel with them when they got fourth in the state. NETLA is very near and dear to our hearts.'

The candidates were all asked if they voted in the most recent election. They all said they did.

Reed said, 'You can't voice your opinion if you don't vote.'

Not in attendance at the March 30 forum hosted by the Hopkins County Republican Party was SSISD school board candidate Wes Cooper. He did however, submit the following statement, which moderator Jim Thompson read aloud.

“Dear SSISD voters: 'For those of you in attendance, thank you for giving the upcoming Board of Trustees election both your time and attention by attending this evening’s event. I apologize for my absence, but my commitments as a father and youth baseball coach in our community have created a scheduling conflict and I am unable to attend tonight’s event. I want to thank the Hopkins County Republican Party for hosting this event and Mr. Jim Thompson for sharing with you this statement in my absence.

“Since changing professions from public education to the private sector in 2011, I have remained a staunch advocate for educating our children to the best of our ability. On a foundational level, it is my belief that members of a school board should act as stewards of its district’s tax dollars, as well as work as a bridge between the district’s administration and its community members to build and develop a longterm strategic plan for both current and future students and hire and retain the best possible people to execute on that plan. I believe my family’s history in the education profession, my own prior work experience in the classroom, owning and operating multiple businesses in Hopkins County since changing careers, as well as earning advanced degrees from The American College as a Certified Financial Planner and a Wealth Management Certified Professional, combine to give me extensive experience in the areas desired of members serving on a school board.

“Please feel free to reach out to me personally or through my Facebook page, Wesley Cooper for SSISD School Board, for any further information or questions you may have. Feeling confident in the ability of the two candidates you choose to fulfill their responsibilities on the Board of Trustees is vitally important and I welcome the opportunity to earn both your confidence and your vote.'

Como-Pickton incumbent school board member D.J. Carr was the only representative from that district.

Other candidates not appearing were Brittney Smith, Jim Murray, Keith Monk and Danny Ireland.

'I'm on the school board because I want to serve everyone,' Carr said.