Three vie for open school board seat in Sandlick District

This is the last in a series of candidate profiles in the upcoming November election 2019. Candidates for Dickenson County School Board in all five districts were asked the same questions, given the same time to respond and asked to limit their answers to roughly 100 words, more for multi-part questions.

SANDLICK DISTRICT

Candidates for the office of Dickenson County School Board

JAMIE HACKNEY

HAYES O’QUIN

DAVID OWENS

1. As you evaluate the quality of education being delivered to Dickenson County students, describe one area of required educational programming you believe needs more attention, what improvement is needed and how you will work to accomplish it.

JAMIE HACKNEY: As far as I’m aware I’m the only licensed Global Career Development Facilitator running for school board in the state. So naturally, I value tremendously the importance of Career and Technical Education. With all the attention paid to SOL’s, sometimes I think Vocational programs get overlooked. When we evaluate the success level of our schools we tend to only look at SOL scores. While I agree we want to excel in required testing, we need to get away from SOL’s as the sole measuring stick for school success. Workforce preparedness/career readiness are key elements to a successful education. If we have kids who do not test well, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t succeed in a particular trade or professional category. I want to see more emphasis placed in those areas, including working with employers to evaluate if we are providing the skills they desire and want to hire.

HAYES O’QUIN: Math and Science will always need improving, offering more advanced classes will prepare students for college and careers. Computer Programming classes and Apps classes need to be added in technology. The school needs to provide students with access to high-quality education, and this can be obtained by hiring the best teachers possible. A smaller number of students per class will provide a better and perfect learning environment.

DAVID OWENS: The students of Dickenson County are currently getting an incredible education. This high level of education is happening even with a reduced number of teachers, larger class sizes, and less money spent (per pupil) than most counties in the region. DCPS is the exception to the rule when each of these is compared to educational attainment of the student population. One area that needs more attention is Vocational training. Many of the programs that were around 10 years ago are now missing. We need to find qualified individuals to teach these lost skills in order for our students to fill the holes that are being left by those retiring from the workforce.

2. Along with core curriculum, students need opportunities for electives and extracurricular activities for the most well-rounded education. Clearly state your position on the funding priority of arts and music programming in Dickenson County schools. Identify an elective and an activity that is not available to students that you believe should be and how you will work toward providing each.

JAMIE HACKNEY: I believe arts and music are very important to a quality education. I consider those programs a HIGH priority to fund and assure they be provided in our schools. An elective I would like to see provided would be a class focused more specifically on mental health. I hope to see mental health/wellness and coping strategies treated on the same level of importance as physical health in our schools. I believe the two go hand in hand.

HAYES O’QUIN: Elective classes can help students find other interest. The robotic team is a great example. Another class that should be implemented is aluminum welding, as there is only one person I know in the county who is qualified to do aluminum welding. Electrician and masonry should be added back to the vocational school. Studies show Arts and Music play an essential role in early development in early learning. They help build self-esteem and social skills. These programs are usually the first programs to cut from the budget. I intend to support Art and Music programming.
DAVID OWENS: Having been in the marching band for eight years while I was a student in Dickenson County, I understand the importance of these programs. The fine arts and performing arts teach students how to work with one another, while also allowing them to tap into their creative side.
One elective that needs to be offered is a motorsports repair class. With the number of ATVs/UTVs coming to the area some of our students need to be trained to keep them running. If the pilot program for eports works out, DCPS needs to be prepared to create a team. Our students can compete with anyone, either athletic or academic.

3. Boards typically are policy setters while staff implement and administer those policies in daily operations. But boards also typically have members who tend toward micromanagement of operations at differing levels. If elected/re-elected, how do you see these roles and how will you handle them when you encounter questions about operations?

JAMIE HACKNEY: I don’t believe in micromanagement but I do believe in active involvement of elected school board members. I feel the voters expect those they send to these positions to be actively engaged in the process of the operation of our school system. A laissez-faire board runs the risk of being derelict in their duties, especially if they simply rubber stamp everything that the superintendent brings before them, absent close attention to detail. This is one reason why I feel it is so critical to elect candidates with appropriate credentials and experience to the school board who are qualified and feel empowered to handle the responsibilities required. If elected, I will be actively engaged in the process.

HAYES O’QUIN: Micromanagement should not be performed by the school board or superintendent. It creates a high-stress environment for the teachers and other staff. School board members should provide a friendly, safe and healthy environment where school staff can perform without fear of retaliation. Having trust in school staff, providing guidance and support will help accomplish what is needed. Any encounters will be dealt with by a straight forward, common-sense approach.
DAVID OWENS: Board members need to stay out of the individual affairs of school operations. They need to set the policy, monitor the impact of the policy, and modify the policy as needed. When people are hired to do a job, they need to be allowed to do it without being hindered. If they are not effective in the position they should not be in it.

4. Spending on the Dickenson County school division’s central office has been the target of much criticism. Twelve of 15 people in that office have 25 years or more experience. Salary and benefits cost roughly $1.5 million, about 5.8 percent of the division’s total budget. Do you believe the central office is bloated in numbers and needs a reduction in staff, or does it have the level of staffing necessary? Would you support retirement incentives in an effort to create space for less experienced and less expensive personnel? Explain where you stand and what you would do about it if elected/re-elected.

JAMIE HACKNEY: Yes, I feel like our school system is top heavy. I believe a larger portion of the budget needs to be allocated away from central office and more toward schools and staff who work directly with students on a daily basis. I do not support cutting staff or forcing retirements. There is no overnight fix. It will take time, effort, and good decision making by the incoming board. Something I would want to look at would be aligning future openings in central office with properly qualified applicants for the position. For example, a transportation/maintenance officer should not necessarily require a master’s degree in education or former experience as a principal. Common sense will go a long way in helping resolve some of these issues.

HAYES O’QUIN: I will evaluate every position and decide if it is needed, required, or is a made-up position. If it is a made-up position to just retain someone, then that position can be eliminated. If someone only has a title and does not have sufficient work to support that position, then that position should be re-evaluated, and more responsibilities assigned. I would support retirement incentives before layoffs, should this be the situation.
DAVID OWENS: I am in total support for retirement incentives. It is the easiest way to make long term savings for the school system. I do not see going in and firing a bunch of people as a way to increase the morale of the school system, and we all know that happy people work harder. Over the past 15 years there have been many jobs lost to attrition. Almost all of them have been at the school level: teachers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, aides, etc.
However, the one place that seems to never lose a position and even pick up a few spots is Central Office.

5. State clearly the option and approach you will support, and why, for location of a new elementary school to replace Sandlick Elementary School. The board that takes office in the new year will either make that call or have a lead role in making that call, regardless of the pending judicial ruling in the court case that grew from the siting controversy. Please be specific, including whether you support consolidating Dickenson County’s three elementary schools into one or into two schools.

JAMIE HACKNEY: I support the three elementary school model primarily because it’s the evidence based best practice we have for educating our children. There’s alot of available research and data to suggest that the early grades, especially K-5, are critical years for maximum educational development. Also, our county does not currently possess the highway infrastructure it needs to consider keeping small children on buses any longer than we already do. We need to serve all children in our county fairly, not just the central areas. I believe Clintwood and Ervinton should keep their respective schools, and a new school be built in the Haysi area. Haysi is the logical location per the original Corps contract, as it is roughly midway between Clinchco and Sandlick, the two elementary schools required to be replaced.
HAYES O’QUIN: I have attended multiple School Board and Board of Supervisor meetings and have never hesitated to voice my support for the Haysi/ Sandlick area for the new elementary school. The new school should be built on the Backbone Ridge site. Any additional cost for this school could be paid for by selling school property for commercial or industrial development. For example, look at how Buchanan County developed their old schools into a law school and pharmacy school. Elkhorn City, Ky., developed their old school into a retirement home. I think Dickenson County will provide sufficient funds to keep the three elementary schools open. I do not support the consolidation of elementary schools. Closing any of the elementary schools will be disastrous to the community. The judicial ruling by Judge Patton should wait until after the elections. The newly elected School Board, Board of Supervisors, and IDA should have joint control over the location of the new elementary school. In my opinion, Sandlick should have been built first and where the original contract stated.
DAVID OWENS: The way the students of Sandlick have been used as pawns in a political chess match should make everyone in the county sick. The new school needs to be at the Backbone Ridge site. We need to keep three open elementary schools in the county to minimize road time for our youngest students. The proposal to put the school at the Ridgeview site will push many students to surrounding counties. While this will indeed reduce funding, that is not the real issue. The real problem is that we would be essentially kicking out the students that the grant required us to help.

6. Through a state formula, Virginia sets a minimum standard for what a locality must pay toward educating its students. Dickenson County has a history of investing substantially more than is required to support its school system, funding that draws both praise and criticism. County administration has been clear the current level of giving is not likely sustainable.

If you are elected to the school board, your work to frame the next year’s budget and the request to county supervisors gets underway shortly after you take the oath of office. Will you be a champion for level or more funding, or do you believe the school division should deliver a lower budget request? Describe one new idea you have for a cost-cutting measure and how you would execute it. Are there areas of spending you would consider as off-limits for cutting? Explain.

JAMIE HACKNEY: We need to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. We have to examine the school budget closely and determine why other nearby counties are able to fund at a lower rate while having larger enrollments. We also need to engage state officials and lawmakers about our composite index. All signs indicate we are being treated unfairly in relation to state funding. We certainly cannot ask for a higher budget next fiscal year. We may need a near level budget to allow more time to engage state officials and work with our leadership on locating potential future savings. If I’m elected, I firmly believe the first place to start budget savings is with myself. I will not accept any taxpayer funded benefits. I do not think it’s ethical to provide benefits for myself in a part-time position while not also providing those benefits to part-time school staff, who are far more deserving in my opinion. I hope other board members will see it this way as well and we can vote to end this unethical and costly practice. I have also vowed to voluntarily cut my own board member pay and allocate it straight to the schools, so that it can be used to directly benefit students and teachers. I also do not approve reckless and wasteful spending of taxpayer funds on needless lawsuits! I will not vote to cut any school staff pay. That would certainly be off limits for me. If we make sound fiscal decisions, then I have full confidence that will be of benefit to school staff and we will be able to offer more competitive pay scales in the future.

HAYES O’QUIN: The current level of funding for the schools is sufficient, but if the Board of Supervisors is unable to sustain this current funding, I would expect them to cut all budgeted departments in the county equally. Unnecessary lawsuits, hiring personal friends by the school board cannot continue. With proper management, the school board will be able to maintain the best educational opportunities for all students and prepare them for success in college and/ or workforce. One area of cost-cutting measures would be to combine all county employees including school personnel to have the same insurance policy. Off-limits for cutting expenses would be anything related to the safety of children and staff.
DAVID OWENS: Education is an investment for the county; it should not be viewed as throwing money away. If elected I would push for increased funding, while making sure that money is not being wasted in the school system. One cost cutting measure I would like to see put in place is the idea of Virtual Learning Days. When school is canceled due to inclement weather, other educational procedures would be in place that would allow for those days to be banked. These days would not only reduce the transportation and electrical costs for the county, they would allow families to actually know when the school year was going to end.

7. Describe what makes you the best candidate to represent citizens in your district and Dickenson County.

JAMIE HACKNEY: I believe I’m the best candidate for the Sandlick District because I am committed to doing what’s best for the children and people of the district and ready to serve. I believe in public service and feel our county needs strong leaders dedicated to reform. I am experienced and qualified with a master’s degree in educational leadership (3.9 GPA), Virginia Department of Education licensed K-12 school administrator, eligible for superintendent’s license and licensed global career development facilitator, trained in facility safety. I have 19 years experience in education and workforce development. five years experience as regional workforce development administrator (15 facilities), division ranked No. 1 nationally in statistical performance. Previously selected on special assignment to serve as statewide workforce manager, receiving a commendation from deputy director of Department of Corrections for excellent performance in that capacity. I want to be a part of bringing this same type of success to Dickenson County School System. I will greatly appreciate your support, thanks!

HAYES O’QUIN: I am retired and have sufficient time to dedicate myself to the students of Dickenson County. My personal life experience has a large role in qualifying me for representing families of Sandlick District. I am a graduate fo Southwest Virginia Community College and I also have a common-sense approach for all situations and problems. Having worked 19 years as an RN, primarily in Home Health and Hospice Care, I have had the opportunity to interact with residents and families in their homes. The first-hand experience allowed me to see and witness the concerns and factors influencing students in our local community and has given me a unique perspective of their needs. I am honest, trustworthy, have strong work ethics, and a strong passionate desire to help all students succeed.
DAVID OWENS: I have been a student, an athlete, a teacher, a coach, a parent, and a substitute bus driver in Dickenson County. I am currently a school level administrator in Buchanan County. I have seen how several different policies have played out over the years and it is not limited to Dickenson County. I know what works and I will push to make sure our school system is preparing our students for the future that we need in Dickenson County.

Please offer any closing thoughts you haven’t addressed.

HAYES O’QUIN: Closing thought. If elected, I will visit schools and encourage all school personnel to voice their concerns and ask questions without fear of retaliation from those in leadership roles. I will be as transparent as possible on all school issues and give parents a voice in our school system. Most importantly, I will listen to your concerns and give careful consideration to suggestions and expressed opinions. I am personally invested in Dickenson County Public Schools and I vow to work for what is best for our children. Your vote on Nov. 5 is greatly appreciated. I am dedicated to making sure the Dickenson County School Board puts kids first. I also think every year should be treated as an election year. Funding is always more available. While attending the board of supervisors meetings in the last six months, I have not seen any request for funds denied.

DAVID OWENS: One major problem that has not been addressed is the lack of substitutes in the county. We have substitutes that are willing to work, but are limiting how many days they can work. We need find a way to let them work so we are not operating schools without the proper amount of adults to adequately monitor the students.