In Dr. Baker's own words

This past Thursday I participated in a meeting to discuss the proposed 5th & 6th grade school. This meeting was led by Madeline Stewart, the lead architect from the design firm GMC. The meeting was well attended with representation from the community and the school district.

One of the first tasks was to review a draft vision statement for the school. One of the items mentioned was the importance of the Eighth Street School and honoring the legacy of the school. Legacy was incorporated into the draft vision. The vision will assist with designing the building as well as the surrounding land area. This new building will become an important part of the district's physical plant for many years.

The School Board has devoted considerable time and effort these past few years discussing the physical buildings, land, infrastructure, and fixed equipment needed for educating our youth and serving the needs for extracurricular activities. There are several buildings needing significant renovation. As a property owner as well as a candidate for the school board, I am thankful for ESPLOST. ESPLOST is a critical source of funds to help pay for the new buildings and renovation of buildings. The Board has a leading role in managing the funds received. Sometimes they have to say no to “wants” that might be nice to have but are not necessary. I fully support the judicious use of the funds rather than raising property taxes.

To wrap up today's post I want to share ideas for honoring the legacy of a school building. I will be completely transparent and state that I asked Google Gemini for ideas. I am sharing the ideas below. I hope that those reading this post will share their thoughts and suggestions.

Honoring a beloved school building involves preserving its physical history, celebrating its community impact, and carrying its spirit into the new space. When a community is grieving the loss of a historic school, the transition requires empathy and active participation to turn sadness into a celebration of legacy.

Tift County Schools relies on four primary funding sources: state budget appropriations, property taxes, ESPLOST revenue, and federal Department of Education grants. Each source plays a different role in supporting daily operations, capital needs, and student services. The following sections outline these sources and connect them to my experience with educational institution budgets.

Consequences matter because, in life, our actions and words carry results.

If we roll through a stop sign and are pulled over by the police, we receive a ticket. That is cause and effect: the failure to stop is the cause, and the ticket is the consequence.

Several weeks ago, I listened to a sermon on submission to authority. Today, we see many examples of people rejecting authority, and that rejection can lead to lawlessness and harm to innocent people. I believe we should also ask whether a similar pattern is affecting our schools.

Most students come to school every day ready to learn. They follow the rules, pay attention, and respect their teachers. Unfortunately, a small number of students can disrupt instruction through rude, undisciplined, or defiant behavior. When teachers must repeatedly stop to address misbehavior, students who are ready to learn lose valuable instructional time.

During my interim roles with Tift County Schools, I saw how student behavior affects everyone. When students do not follow established rules and expectations, the result is lost learning time, frustrated teachers, and a more difficult teaching environment.

Tift County should review its policies and procedures for addressing misbehavior. We need clear, consistent guidelines that begin in the early grades and help students develop a strong sense of appropriate behavior. PBIS has value, but positive reinforcement alone is not enough if misbehavior is not addressed with meaningful consequences.

Good behavior also begins at home. Teachers cannot solve these challenges alone. Parents, family members, school officials, and teachers must work together with shared accountability to protect a learning environment where students can succeed and teachers can teach.

I am seeking a seat on the Tift County Board of Education, and I would appreciate your support.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking about the search for the next Superintendent of Tift County Schools. I am assuming the current Board will not begin that search until the new members have started their terms.

The purpose of this note is to outline the principles I believe should guide the next Superintendent search: define the position carefully, seek broad stakeholder input, compare search-process options honestly, and evaluate both internal and external candidates against the same criteria.

My thoughts below are based on years of experience hiring senior leaders at academic and nonprofit institutions. It is critical that the position description be carefully written to reflect the needs and priorities of Tift County Schools. The description will become the standard against which candidates are evaluated. Stakeholder input will be important in assessing those needs and priorities.

There are two basic ways to conduct the search. One option is to hire an external search firm to bring a set number of finalists to the Board for a final decision. The other option is for the Board to conduct the search itself. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, regardless of which process the Board chooses.

I have heard the view that the Board should hire someone from within the system. Current qualified employees should certainly be considered, but I would not favor limiting the search to internal candidates for this key leadership position. In my experience filling critical leadership roles, there have been times when none of the applicants met the criteria and other times when several excellent applicants brought different strengths. That is why the Board should evaluate all candidates against the priorities specified in the position description.

The final choice will be made by the Board, but students, parents, and teachers should have meaningful input into the district's needs and priorities before that choice is made.

For these reasons, I believe the Board should begin by defining the district's needs, gathering stakeholder input, and using that work to create a position description that guides every stage of the search. That process would give the Board a stronger basis for choosing the next Superintendent and would give the community confidence that the decision was made thoughtfully.

I congratulate Natalie Gore on her achievements as Superintendent of Tift County Schools. One of the primary duties of a Board of Education in Georgia is the selection and evaluation of the Superintendent. It is vital that the members of the Board have the skills and discernment to make the selection of her replacement.

I am seeking a seat on the Tift County Board of Education. I am an experienced education leader and a longtime Tift County resident. As a member of the Tift County Board of Education, I will leverage my experience gained through more than 30 years of leadership in higher education, nonprofit governance, and public service.

Georgia law says school board members should bring sound judgment in: policy making, financial oversight, long-range planning, and selection of strong school system leadership. These essential duties help protect our accreditation and keep the focus on student achievement.

During Academic Year 23/24 I had the opportunity to serve as the Interim Superintendent for Tift County Schools and as the TCHS Principal. These two positions provided me with a great appreciation for the needs of the students and teachers in Tift County. I know that these experiences will be invaluable when serving on the Board. I welcome your support and vote.