New faces to the Richmond County Board of Education speak on plans
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Four new Richmond County Board of Education were elected Tuesday as voters also agreed to extend a 1% sales tax for schools.
The Richmond County Board of Education said Wednesday it welcomes Shontae Boyd, District 4; Monique Braswell, District 5; Mary Jane Abbot, District 8; and Samantha Valentine, District 10 (at large).
It’s a shake-up we’ve not witnessed in decades.
Nearly half of the Richmond County Board of Education will exit their seats in January, as four new faces take over their positions.
Your I-TEAM sat down with two of the four new incoming board on Wednesday.
Monique Braswell is the new face for District 5 but is no stranger to the board of education.
Braswell, a long-time advocate for children in the district, replaces long-time board member Patsy Scott.
Scott filled her husband’s seat on the board when he ed away in 2009.
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Liz: “This is a huge change, to the board, and you’re part of that change. What do you think your biggest challenge is going to be?”
Monique: “I don’t feel like we’re going to have a challenge because the people of Augusta, the parents, the community, they want change. So they knew bringing in more people, different people, after decades and decades of the same people were going to get that change.”
Four board did not seek reelection this year, including Jimmy Atkins. District 8 has a new face in the seat for the first time in nearly 20 years.
“It’s now or never,” said Mary Jane Abbott, the new face of District 8. “So I went and qualified.”
Abbott says this is a large amount of seats to fill.
“Mr. Jimmy Atkins left his seat. Miss Helen Minchew left her seat, Dr. Frazier leaving her seat,” said Abbot. “So, yeah, it was a big. It’s a big vacate.”
Abbot is new to the office, but a veteran educator.
“So academically, literacy is huge,” said Abbott. “We need to get our literacy numbers up, our literacy rates up and I want to make sure that that is a focus.”
Monique wants to tackle policies that pin students from success like zero tolerance.
“If you’re being attacked, you’re being assaulted and you fight back, you go home. I don’t like that,” said Braswell. “I think that you should be able to defend yourself.”
Braswell said she thinks it’s unfair for students who are found guilty of a crime and serve time to return to school and be sent to an alternative school.
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“The other one is, you know, you do your time in juvenile detention center. You come out and you have to go to the alternative school. I don’t understand that either,” said Braswell.
Two mothers from two different sides of town, on the same mission to help children.
“We have a new sheriff coming in. Our mayor now has a vote. We have four brand new board on the school board. This is just a huge opportunity for us as a county to really make some moves and really make some changes and see our county grow, and I am so excited and so privileged to be a part of it,” said Abbott.
Your I-TEAM is scheduled to sit down with the winners of districts 10 and 4 on Thursday.
Taking the District 4 seat, Boyd says it’s all about pushing for higher education.
“I do not feel like we should cut any corners when it comes to giving our kids a good education. Our school district has made great strides within the last few years and with my background, I know I can take us to the next level,” said Boyd.
Valentine, filling the position at District 10, says she will bring transparency to the table.
“It is very important that we are transparent about what is going on with our fiscal money because if we can’t talk about it then parents will be a little anxious and worry about what’s going on,” she said.
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The new board formally take office on Jan. 1, 2025, for a term of four years.
“Our board is pleased to welcome four new , each bringing unique perspectives and a strong commitment to our mission,” said Charlie Walker Jr., board president. “We are grateful to our outgoing for their dedicated years of service in building a solid foundation. I am confident this new group will continue to bring valuable insights to advance our vision for educational excellence, and we look forward to the next four years of effective governance and progress toward our goals.”
The newly elected board will receive an orientation and be sworn in before their officially begin in January. A formal ceremony will mark the occasion, with details to be announced at a later date.
Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw, superintendent of schools said:
“We welcome our newly elected board and look forward to their contributions as we continue to advance the educational standards and opportunities for all students in Richmond County.”
1% sales tax
Richmond County voters agreed to renew a special 1% sales and use tax for educational purposes that was on the ballot.
65.4% of voters said yes, 34.6% no.
The tax is to raise money for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, installing and equipping new and replacement school buildings and facilities and other buildings and facilities useful or desirable in connection therewith; adding to, renovating, removing, repairing, improving and equipping existing schools.
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