The following statements were submitted by the Distict C school board candidates to the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County. All statements are directly from the candidate, and not edited by the League.
The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Dana Partin and Tim Thornton were asked the following: list the three most important priorities that you would like to address if you are elected.
Partin:
- Ensuring the safety and security of students and faculty. In these trying times, the safety of students and staff is a paramount concern. I will work closely with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and school personnel to review our existing safety plans and make improvements so that the school system is prepared for 21st century threats.
- Recruiting and retaining quality educators Montgomery County students currently receive a high quality education through the school system. In order to build upon this success and the meet higher standards, the school board must actively seek out the best education professionals to teach our kids. Furthermore, the school system must foster a positive learning and working environment so that the existing teachers will continue to live and work in our community.
- Working with the Board of Supervisors to maintain fiscal responsibility. As a conservative, I believe that government must spend within its means. This belief applies to all levels and facets of the public sector including our schools. As a school board member, I will stick to my principles and fight for a lean, effective budget with the help of the Board of Supervisors.
Thornton:
All Montgomery County students should have the same educational opportunities.
- That covers a lot of ground, I know (educators, facilities, class size and classes offered, for example), but that seems to be a very basic school system obligation. To do this, we must make sure that we recruit the best teachers at every school in Montgomery County.
- STEM and work-based education are good, but it’s important to also include the arts and prepare students to be good citizens capable of meaningful participation in our democracy. Employers list critical thinking, communication and collaboration among the skills they want most in employees, so I’m for STEAM and an emphasis on more than work preparedness.
- Students learn better and better understand their community, the world and themselves if they relate to what they encounter in class. I support place-based, multicultural education, including Appalachian studies and MCPS’s initiative to hire more teachers of color. These programs benefit students unaccustomed to seeing people like them in their lessons and prepare students to thrive in a diversifying nation.
District C communities and subdivisions include: Lafayette, Elliston, Shawsville, Ironto, Alleghany Springs, Piedmont, Camp Alta Mons, Flatwoods, Reesedale, Sugar Grove, Oak Grove, Den Hill, Deer Creek Meadow, HS Tejas, Fox Hollow, The Ridges, Trump Acres and Walnut Creek. Town of Christiansburg neighborhoods and subdivisions include Town and Country Estates, Edgewood, Huff Acres, Summit Ridge, Franklin Park, Sherwood Estates, Craig Mountain, Arrowhead Estates, Cedar Point, East Ridge, Kingston Court, Raintree Village, Falling Branch, Fox Hollow, Willowbrook, White Pines, Mountain Top Estates and Cumberland Forest.
Polling places are Meadowbrook Branch Public Library on Alleghany Spring Road (Precinct C1), Christiansburg Church of Christ on South Franklin Street in Christiansburg (C2), Hall’s United Methodist Church on North Fork Road (Precinct C3) and Falling Branch Elementary School on Falling Branch Road in Christiansburg (Precinct C4).
Board members serve four-year terms. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls are open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
