District 9 Overview: District 9 covers portions of Midtown, East Memphis and Southeast Memphis. District 9 candidates are Roshun Austin, Michael Kernell and Damon Morris. Mr. Morris was the only candidate to submit his positions for publication.
District 9 in yellow, highlighted in yellow for emphasis
Background QuestionsDistrict in which you are running and years lived in the district:
| I am running for Shelby County School Board District 9. I have lived in this district all of my life which is about 36 years now. |
Please list any prior experience in elected office:
| I do not have any prior experience in elected office other that working on some elected officials campaigns. |
Please list any public service accomplishments, especially related to education:
| 13 year Educator for Legacy Memphis City Schools; YSMA Youth Service Award for Outstanding After School Program; TN Legislative District 86 Youth Service Award; Walking Into a New Life (WIANL) Domestic Violence Youth Advocacy Award; All American Teen Town USA, INC Humanitarian Award; National Coalition for Domestic Violence Award for Youth Violence Education; Board Chairman-Parents for Public Schools; Board Member Emeritus-Memphis Youth in Action; Executive Director of the largest independently owned cultural enrichment center in Memphis (Teen Town University); Mentor and Performance Coach for various fine arts and performance organizations |
What is your campaign website and do you have any social media pages you wish to publicize (twitter, facebook, etc.)? If so, please list below
| www.facebook.com/teammorris4schools; team_morris4schools@yahoo.com |
Policy Position Questions (please give specific examples to support your position when appropriate)
1. Reason for running: Tell our readers why you are running for school board.
| The purpose of my campaign is to be a voice for the community and children I serve that ordinarily would not have that voice. My vast knowledge of the educational system of this county, my service to my community, and my over 20 years of advocacy for children and adults all over the country makes me a very qualified individual to serve on the school board. This race is not about me, however, this is about the children, parents, and educators that make up our school district and their specific needs. We need someone on the school board who is not afraid to stand up for all of them and fight for equality. |
2. Your Vision: Shelby County Education has undergone dramatic changes in the past three years. Describe your vision for the future of our school district going forward and the role you believe educators and community members should play in achieving this vision.
| My vision for Shelby County Education is equality. We have a very large amount of children living in poverty in our county. It seems to me that these are the children suffering the most in education. The schools in the poorest neighborhoods are closing causing a decline in many people’s way of life. It starts with an education. If the school system builds a special school in a particular area, they should build a special school in all areas. North Memphis, Orange Mound, and South Memphis should benefit from special schools, just to name a few. We are entering and age of economic racism. This racism has no color line or boundary. This particular racism involves the haves versus have not’s. Our educators and community members need to come together in the spirit of diplomacy to face these challenges head on for the betterment of the community as a whole. To make the community better we have to start with providing our children with the world class education that everyone talks about. |
3. Evaluations Pt.1: Rate the current system of teacher and principal evaluations here in Shelby County, and describe what if any changes would you make to this system. Please explain why you would or would not change the existing system.
| The evaluation systems that we use for teachers and principals are like any other system we use, it has its flaws. I do not think it is comprehensive enough and does not reflect the work that our educators are responsible for. The changes I would push for is try to not lean to heavily on the students test scores for hiring or firing practices. Now, we need to get a system in place for accountability, but we must take all factors into consideration. |
4. Evaluations Pt.2: Explain whether you believe that the district should use teacher and principal evaluation scores in compensation, hiring and firing decisions. If you believe that they should not, describe how the system should best be utilized to improve education overall in Shelby County.
| As far as a compensation model, I think that we should use evaluation scores of our educators. The best teachers that scores are exceptional should receive exceptional pay. However, I believe that all educators should be compensated for the work they do and receive raises regularly. The district now is considering ways to approve attendance among educators. A vast majority of cities have a funding formula to compensate educators for exceptional attendance. I think this is a model for Shelby County Schools to follow. I do not think, with all the variables present for standardized testing, that we should use this piece as a decision to hire or fire an educator. We have to improve the way we prepare the children to take these tests and we also have to give our teachers the tools they need to help our children prepare. We cannot expect a 20 year educator to conform to the new ways we evaluate children in as little as one year without the proper training. That method is not fair. We can use this system to focus on the areas of need for the students and educators. |
5. School Closures: School closures have become a hot button issue in our community. Explain under what conditions and for what reasons, if any, schools should be closed in our district and any alternatives you would pursue other than school closings if you do not believe they represent good policy.
| If the superintendent of schools maintains that the closing of schools does not really save the district money, then why are they closed? Growing up in a very poor part of Shelby County, the schools were the framework of the community. I watched the schools be an inviting place for children and parents to come in and be a part of something special. We have gotten away from this. Closing schools, especially in the poorest neighborhoods, continues to downgrade the community. This causes crime and blight and the individuals left behind suffer the most. From a policy standpoint, this seems like this would cause a tremendous funding issue with busing children out of their neighborhoods to schools. We need to look at the framework of the community and provide the same quality of programs for all children in all neighborhoods. That is policy that I will support. |
6. Teacher Recruitment: Shelby County brings in hundreds of new teachers every year from alternative certification programs (Memphis Teaching Fellows, TFA, and Memphis Teacher Residency). Explain whether or not you believe we should continue partnering with these programs for the purpose of teacher recruitment.
| If the teachers that we receive from these programs are quality teachers that represent the ideas and vision of the district, then I support them. I support any educator who takes this job seriously and is in this profession for the long haul. |
7. School Choice: Describe your thoughts on the current state of school choice in Shelby County (charter schools, vouchers, the ASD). To what extent should school choice play a role in Shelby County education and how would you take action as a school board member to support on your position?
| We will never stop charter schools, vouchers, or ASD as long as the law says these entities can be present. That is a legal issue and I do not think that education should be fought in a courtroom. There would be no need for school choice if the same programs were offered to every child in every school. I know that this is a funding issue; however I do not believe that you can put a price on a quality education. We are always told what we can’t do and what the law says. In the end it is about all children. I would take action as a board member to push for dialogue between all educational entities to see if we can work together. |
8. Teacher Compensation: The State just passed regulations giving districts more freedom in teacher compensation structures this past fall. Describe your knowledge of the existing teacher compensation system in Shelby County and identify any changes, if any, that you believe would improve it.
| The teachers were given pay raises every year when I was an educator and we also received pay raises for advance degrees. I believe that when the district moved away from this, it was a tremendous blow to our educators. I believe in receiving compensation for advance degrees. If and educator put time and effort to advance their education, then it can only be a plus for students. As I stated before most school districts are moving to compensate teachers in many other areas such as attendance. I will support this movement on the school board. If our educators are taken care of then that will improve our students. Everyone needs to be motivated. Most of the teachers I have spoken with say that a better compensation model will increase morale. |
9. Personal Policy Priorities: What education policy issue is most important to you personally and how will you work to advance this issue as a school board member? Please use this section to highlight any policies that you believe were left out in any prior questions.
| Many of the policies passed this school year were very good decisions. However, some of the main important issues created a temporary fix that will come up in the future. Pre-K funding is a very important issue. As a product of a great Pre-K education, it lays the foundation for a child’s educational track all the way through college. Not to mention the social skills that is so important in a child’s first years. Everyone needs a background to create a foreground. Funding is another, if not, the most important policy issue. We need to fight to work with corporations and foundations to gain the funding we need to keep cuts out of the classroom. Every child should be able to have the same educational experience as the next. All of us working together is my goal to implement these policy changes. I plan to work with and research any possibility to prevent our children from getting a cut rate education. |
10. Personal Policy Priorities: Describe your personal leadership style. How will this allow you to be a productive school board member in addressing the issues you highlighted in questions 8 and 9?
| My personal leadership style has always been stern but fair! In a diplomatic society everyone can come to effective decisions for the good of all involved. This leadership style will show my colleagues that I am passionate about education and passionate about the students that we serve. If I am elected on the school board my drive for policy will be based on what is fair for everyone. |
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