New candidates challenge familiar faces for two school board seats

The qualifying period for the two board of education races ended earlier this month. Six candidates filed the requisite paperwork to be put on the May 16 ballot.

Two candidates are running for the at-large Post 7 seat currently held by Daryl Morton, who is serving his final term and will become ineligible. Four candidates, including the incumbent Lisa Garrett-Boyd, are running for the at-large Post 8 seat.

The May 16 general election will include the board of education races as well as the local races for two Macon Water Authority seats.

Here are the candidates running for the board of education.

Candidates for Post 7

Amy Morton, 66, is a licensed family therapist and founder and CEO of Southern Majority, a communications and public relations firm for local nonprofits, for-profits and political campaigns. 

Why run?

The Mercer graduate said public education is “critical infrastructure,” no less important than roads or bridges for community success.

Morton works with public school students as a family therapist and has served on the district’s ESPLOST advisory committee for several years. 

“Education has been at the heart of everything I’ve ever done,” she said.

Morton’s husband, Daryl Morton, currently serves as the board’s president but has termed out. 

What are your priorities? 

Morton said she’s against raising taxes and wants to ensure efficient use of funds before asking for more from taxpayers.

She said teachers have told her they want to feel supported and her job as a board member is to enable teachers as much as possible.

“I’m interested in rolling up my sleeves and working with not just the school system, I’m interested in bringing the community to the table,” she said.

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Kerry Hatcher, 40, is a software engineer.

Why run?

Hatcher started attending school board meetings after two principals at Alex II Elementary School, where his son attends school, did not get their contracts renewed.

He decided to run after talking extensively with parents and learning more from the board’s meetings. Hatcher said he wants to be a new perspective on the school board. 

“We need some strong change and I think I can help bring that change because I have a fairly different background from people on the board,” he said.

What are your priorities?

Hatcher wants to be the voice for accountability and transparency on the board and support a “culture of sharing.”

While he said he is concerned about the financial situation — and believes tough decisions need to be made — Hatcher said he can’t say what he would do until after this year’s budget cycle.

He wants to incorporate more community partners into the district’s activities.

“It’s important to rebuild trust in the institution and get people informed and shift that from a closed policy to an open policy,” he said.

Candidates for Post 8

Jonathan Fisher, 53, is the worship leader at United Community Church.

Why run?

Fisher said he thinks the board can do better and has been “inconsistent” between raising taxes and keeping the superintendent accountable.

Fisher has made public comments at recent board meetings following the district uncovering a $5.5 million gap in the budget.

“I think it’s time for new leadership,” he said. “You have people serving on the board that’s been there for 8-12 years, and instead of us going up and getting better in state rankings, we’re going down.”

What are your priorities?

Fisher said he wants to cut central office staff and identify extraneous services being paid for by the district and reinvest the savings back into teachers and the classroom.

Fisher said he believes teachers should have more discretion in how they teach.

He also wants to hire an independent auditor to determine “where all our finances are going.” He wants to boost the teacher retention salary schedule and be “the most transparent person ever on the board.” 

He said he won’t raise taxes until finances are put in order.

“Until we get our fiscal responsibility in place, then we’re going to continue to have these problems,” he said. “We have to have people in there who are strong enough and strong-minded to look everyone on that board in the eye and say ‘no we cannot amend the budget, we don’t have enough information.’”

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Lisa Garrett-Boyd, 71, currently sits on the board of education.

Why run?

Garrett-Boyd has already served two four-year terms on the board of education. She worked as a teacher for nearly two decades and an administrator for just as long.

She said she wants to continue improving student literacy — especially early literacy — and noted the state’s recognition of several schools in Bibb County.

“I call myself a champion for all children,” Garrett-Boyd said.

In her time on the board, she said teachers and principals have made strong gains and are working hard.

What are your priorities?

Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism and literacy levels have worsened,  Garrett-Boyd said. Addressing chronic absenteeism and getting students reading on grade level will set them up to succeed after graduation.

Continuing to grow dual enrollment opportunities and working with the business community will also make students “workforce ready,” she said.

Garrett-Boyd said she regularly reviews attendance data and focuses on the science of reading, leading to gains in the classroom.

She also noted the negative impact of state cuts on the school’s budget.

“Over the past two years, the administration has reduced the budget by millions of dollars to strengthen fiscal accountability,” she wrote.

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Nola McFadden, 61, is a retired federal employee.

Why run?

McFadden’s son went through the Bibb County School District, and at one point his football coach suggested she run for the board.

That was 15 years ago, it “sparked” something inside her, and now she said the time feels right for her to get involved.

McFadden said she’s been an active parent and done volunteer work in the past. 

What are your priorities?

McFadden said the board needs to be good stewards of taxpayer money, especially with cuts being made at the federal and state levels.

She said she wants to support economic growth in the county through the school district, namely through improving STEM and AI-centered educational programs.

Getting trust back into the school system will make the county more “lucrative” and “attractive,” according to McFadden.

“We have to be in the schools, with the administrators, and we have to build up a community relationship to make our school district better,” she said.

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Carlos McCloud, 58, is an educator.

McCloud did not respond to requests for comment from The Melody. He has lived in Macon for 15 years and qualified to run for the Post 8 seat currently occupied by Garrett-Boyd.