Bibb school board candidates tout community ties, classroom priorities

The qualifying period for the two Bibb County Board of Education races ended earlier this month, and six candidates filed the requisite paperwork to be put on the May 19 ballot.

Two candidates are running for the at-large Post 7 seat currently held by Daryl Morton, who is term-limited and unable to run again. Four candidates, including incumbent Lisa Garrett-Boyd, are running for the at-large Post 8 seat.

Here are the candidates running for Post 7:

Candidates for Post 7

Kerry Hatcher

A software engineer, Hatcher has lived in Macon for 19 years.

The 40-year-old started attending school board meetings after two principals at Alexander II Elementary, where his son attends school, did not get their contracts renewed.

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

Hatcher said he wants to be the voice for accountability and transparency on the board while also supporting a “culture of sharing.”

While he said he is concerned about the district’s 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 also said 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.

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Amy Morton

A licensed family therapist and founder and CEO of communications and PR firm Southern Majority, she has lived in Macon for 41 years. The 66-year-old is married to Daryl Morton, the term-limited Post 7 seatholder.

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

In her therapist work, Morton said she works with public school students. She has also served on the district’s ESPLOST campaign committee.

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

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 would be to facilitate that support 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.

Candidates for Post 8

Jonathan Fisher

Fisher, a 53-year-old worship leader at United Community Church, has lived in Macon for 45 years.

Fisher said he thinks the board can do better and has been “inconsistent” between raising taxes and keeping the superintendent accountable. He has made public comments at recent board meetings, including when the district uncovered a $5.5 million hole in its 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.”

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

He also said he believes teachers should have more discretion in how they teach and is interested in boosting the teacher retention salary schedule. He said he wants to hire an independent auditor to determine “where all our finances are going” and pledged to be “the most transparent person ever on the board.”

Fisher said he won’t raise taxes until finances are “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

Garrett-Boyd, an incumbent board member, is 71 years old and has lived in Macon for 67 years. She is seeking her third term. She has a long history in education, working as a teacher and administration for four decades.

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.

She said teachers and principals work hard and acknowledged that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic absenteeism and literacy levels have worsened. Addressing those issues, she said, will set students up for success after graduation.

Garrett-Boyd said the district should continue to grow dual enrollment opportunities and work with the business community to help students be “workforce ready.”

She noted the negative impact of state cuts on the district’s budget and said district administrators have, over the past two years, reduced that budget by millions of dollars to “strengthen fiscal accountability.”

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Carlos McCloud

A 58-year-old educator, McCloud has lived in Macon for 15 years. He said he has worked his way up the school ranks, starting as a paraprofessional and eventually becoming a principal. He has more than 30 years of experience.

“I have boots-on-the-ground experience with children from low socioeconomic backgrounds because I was that child,” he noted.

McCloud said the first priority should be to confront the district’s financial deficit.

The district should look to go above and beyond the financial guidelines set by the state superintendent in the wake of a financial crisis at Dublin City Schools, he said.

“You want to make sure that the financial reporting is accurate and frequent and immediate,” McCloud said. “We need information that is viable, that is accurate, that we can

 count on to make decisions for the students.”

McCloud said the board must also come up with an enforceable attendance policy. The district currently reaches out to parents after a student has three unexcused absences and are referred to the district’s truancy task force after demonstrating a “pattern” of absences.

“We need to come up with a policy that’s realistic and enforceable and stick to it,” he said. “We need to have some safety nets for those students (who), for whatever reason, have not met their attendance requirements.”

When it comes to literacy, McCloud said the district needs to create an “intensive” summer academy to get kids back on track who have fallen behind.

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Nola McFadden

A 61-year-old retired federal employee, McFadden was born in Macon, lived outside of the area for a time and returned in 2015.

She said her son matriculated through the school district and, at one point, his football coach suggested that she should run for a board seat.

That was 15 years ago, she said, but it “sparked” something inside of her. She said she feels now is the right time for her to get involved. McFadden noted that she has been an active parent and district volunteer.

She said the board needs to be good stewards of taxpayer money, especially with cuts being made at the federal and state levels. She wants to support economic growth in the county through the school district, namely through improving science, technology, education and math programs and incorporating artificial intelligence education.

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

“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.

Editor’s note: Carlos McCloud did not respond to calls from Macon Melody staff members but, following publication of the article, emailed his photograph and website link to the newsroom. A previous version of this story noted the election date as May 16. The date of the general election in May 19.