Why I’m running for school board: Kerry Hatcher

Editor’s note: The Macon Melody invited all candidates seeking seats on the Bibb County Board of Education to submit columns sharing their qualifications and vision for office. Submissions were subject to a 400-word limit and standard content guidelines, including a prohibition on personal attacks and a requirement that all factual claims be accurate and verifiable.

Of the candidates running, only the two seeking the Post 7 at-large seat responded by the deadline. Their columns appear here, lightly edited to conform to our house style.

Public education isn’t abstract to me.

I’m a parent of three kids in Bibb County Schools, a former special education student with an IEP and now the parent of children who receive special ed services. When families can’t get a straight answer, can’t find basic information or feel like decisions are happening behind closed doors, that’s not a small problem. It’s a trust problem. And it’s the central problem facing this district.

My perspective comes from lived experience and professional experience. I work as a lead software engineer, building reliable systems and making complex information usable. I’ve also served through emergency management volunteer work and the Georgia State Defense Force. 

Those roles taught me that when people are counting on you, clear communication and follow-through aren’t optional. I’ve attended budget hearings and published my own analysis of district finances. I’ve been paying close attention to how this district makes its decisions. That’s the work I want to bring to the board.

The board doesn’t lack politicians. What it lacks is someone who won’t let word salad pass for an answer — an engineer with the skills to press past talking points and ask what the numbers actually say.

Families and taxpayers shouldn’t have to guess what’s happening in their schools. When a local newsroom has to sue to learn the amount of a taxpayer-funded settlement, even after Georgia’s attorney general warned the district’s legal rationale didn’t appear to support withholding it, that’s a transparency problem.

Teachers deserve to know where they stand. I’ve heard from too many who feel micromanaged, judged by inconsistent standards, stripped of planning time and left without real support when discipline problems derail their classroom. Good teachers need trust, consistency and the time to actually teach. Parents deserve the same respect — to know who owns a problem and when to expect an answer, not silence.

Extracurriculars, mentors and community partnerships aren’t extras. They build confidence, fill gaps and connect students to real life. We need that investment, especially now.

Bibb County doesn’t need more noise from its school board. It needs steady leadership, open government and a district families can trust.

I want to earn your vote on May 19. Call or text me at 478-276-3463. I want to hear from you.

Kerry Hatcher is a candidate for the Post 7 at-large seat on the Bibb County Board of Education.