NEWS ALERT: Q & A With Superintendent Candidates

As early voting continues and election day approaches, The County Record continues the interview series with Calhoun County candidates. Here are the questions and answers with school superintendent candidates:

LOGAN BARBEE
1. The School Board pulled $1 million this year from the reserve fund to balance the budget. If this continues, the reserves will soon be depleted. What is your plan to deal with this budget concern?
First of all, I’m a fiscal conservative. I don’t plan on pulling any money out. I’m for saving money, not spending money. We’re going to face economic hard times in the future I know, it’s best to keep that money in reserves for the future when we’re sure going to need it. I understand it’s there if we need it, but only if we need it.

2. As you have been out campaigning, what is the biggest concern you have heard from voters about the Calhoun County school system?
Lack of leadership. Only 10 percent of our children go to college. The vocational programming needs to be addressed. I’m an advocate for building a strong vocational program with a certification program. I want students to leave high school with a resume, not just a diploma, and with certifications on that resume.

3. What sets you apart from your opponents?
Energy and experience. I have a passion for the education of our children. I’ve been a successful educator, administrator and business person. I’ve worked with large and small groups of people and worked with successful budgets. I have the ability to work through difficult situations without incurring resentment. I’m a problem solver. I like creative solutions, thinking out of the box with solutions and coming up with successful conclusions. Also, I won’t blame Tallahassee or put it off on other people when I’m addressing a problem - it’s my problem.

TOMMY McCLELLAN
1. The School Board pulled $1 million this year from the reserve fund to balance the budget. If this continues, the reserves will soon be depleted. What is your plan to deal with this budget concern?
State employees, including school employees, now have to pay 3 percent toward their own retirement. However, if the state changes this requirement and puts it back on the school system, we will have to refund that. Otherwise, that will be extra money we have in our budget. There are some question marks. We had four years to pay back $2 million at about a half million per year. That was for Blountstown High School - the 1.125 mills collected for that project over a four year period. We have also lost maintenance money to maintain our facilities, such as if the roof is bad or a pipe breaks.

2. As you have been out campaigning, what is the biggest concern you have heard from voters about the Calhoun County school system?
The biggest concern I’ve had is to assure the Altha community that they are not losing their school.

3. What sets you apart from your opponents?
I’ve got 23 years of experience - six years as principal, nine years as a teacher and eight years as superintendent. I’ve been through the superintendent certification program and the chief executive officer leadership program. I’ve built up a strong relationship with all the superintendents in the state and many legislators. We meet with them every year, go over issues and express concerns. I think the experience and connections I’ve made would set me apart. Others haven’t had that opportunity. For example, we would have lost our second year funding on Blountstown High School if Marti, Al and Bill had not helped us change that proviso language to get that passed.


RALPH YODER
1. The School Board pulled $1 million this year from the reserve fund to balance the budget. If this continues, the reserves will soon be depleted. What is your plan to deal with this budget concern?
My plan is to take the budget apart piece by piece, working with staff to see where we can re-prioritze our efforts to save money, find ways to increase efficiency, and start looking at big ticket items to see whre we need to make some cuts in terms of living within our means. It’s no different than what we do with our family budgets.

2. As you have been out campaigning, what is the biggest concern you have heard from voters about the Calhoun County school system?
The biggest concern is the lack of vocational training and the lack of job opportunities for our young people when they graduate from our schools. As superintendent, I will work closely with our other elected officials and community leaders to find ways to attract job opportunities here in Calhoun County. Education and economic development go hand in hand.

3. What sets you apart from your opponents?
As a dad with kids in the school system, I am keenly interested in future opportunities for my daughters and their peers. What sets me apart is that I bring a fresh approach to the educational system and will use my experience in the private and public sector to effectively lead our school system. I will filter my decisions through this grid - what is best for our students, what is best for our teachers, schools and communities, and, ultimately, the impact to the taxpayer.