Jayton-Girard school district voters are invited to get a unique glimpse into the positions on the issues, and the personalities running for local office this spring, in a “Meet the Candidates” evening presented by the Kent County Lions Club on Sunday, April 18 at 5 p.m. at the Kent County Community Center in Jayton.
Six candidates for three atlarge contested places on the board of trustees of the Jayton-Girard Independent School District —will take questions live in a gathering with constituents.
Appearing at Sunday’s forum will be the following candidates who responded in writing to an introductory questionnaire.
JGISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
L’Rae Lee (incumbent)
Your hometown McAdoo, TX
Your education-Associate of Science Degree from South Plains College, 132 hours from Western Texas College, Texas Tech and West Texas A&M
Your occupation-Kent County Extension Office
Your family-Doyle and I will celebrate 17 years of marriage this October, and we have 2 children, Cutter (13) and Callie (7).
Your interests-I enjoy spending time with my family, fishing, and being outdoors.
3 key messages of your campaign What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals if you are re-elected?
Key Message 1: To be open and honest with my communication.
Key Message 2: To make informed decisions by gathering relevant information for what is best for the district.
Key Message 3: To continue the pursuit of ensuring success of every student at JGISD.
What areas of public policy or community issues matter most to you?
The finances of the district are important and have been one of the most challenging areas for me over the past three years. I continue to grow my knowledge of school finance and exploring ways to bring in additional revenue to operate on a balanced budget.
Making wise decisions on the use of our permanent school funds and the timing of construction projects is another area of importance to me. Things constantly change in the area of education, and I believe keeping an open mind and embracing those changes will lead to continued success of the students at JGISD.
Amanda McGee, incumbent
Your hometown: I am originally from Spur, but moved to Jayton over 15 years ago and consider this wonderful place my home.
Your occupation: I am employed by Kent County State Bank as a banking officer and branch manager.
Your family: I am married to Kerry McGee and we have 5 children. Three of our children are graduates of JGISD and the two youngest are current students, Katherine a senior and Asiah a 4th grader.
Your interests: My hobbies include playing golf with family and friends and also photography.
Key Message l: My continued goals for the district are to oversee the budget and continue to expand my knowledge on school finance. The district has seen a change in school finance legislation with the passing of HB3. This legislation limits taxation and is driven by student enrollment. Budget constraints will continue to be a factor in the future.
Key Message 2: However, it is my goal to continue to facilitate the best education of our students and prepare them for higher education or the work force, whichever is in their best interest. We are blessed with the best teachers and staff and I will strive to continue to provide them with the tools needed to prepare our future.
Key Message 3: Last March, our lives as we knew them changed and many difficult decisions had to be made to continue educating our students through the Covid-19 Pandemic. I am very proud that our district was able to work together to provide and some days, deliver meals to our students. I am grateful that the technology equipment that was purchased with bond money was utilized to transition to an almost overnight virtual learning environment. We have been faced with very difficult decisions, obstacles and challenges but thankfully, we were able to re-open our school doors to offer safe in-person learning at the start of the current school year. I believe our staff, students and community have weathered the storm to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I believe we as a school district have prevailed through these challenging times with humility, grace and dignity
What areas of public policy or community issues matter most to you?
My continued goals for the district are to oversee the budget and continue to expand my knowledge on school finance. It is very important to me to communicate and work together with the other trustees, administration and community to make JGISD the best place it can be. . I am honored to have served JGISD for the last nine years and would love to opportunity to serve for another term.
Ron Redford
Hometown: Cambridge, Kansas
Education: Graduated Central Burden High School 1997
Graduated TCU Ranch Management 1999
Occupation: Self Employed, I operate my own Farrier business, I also take care of a small ranch in between Jayton and Rotan.
Family: Have been married to my wife Missy for 18 years in May, we have two wonderful kids. Rance 15 and Reese 13.
Interests: I enjoy watching my kids participate in all their school activities. When I’m not doing that I like being on the ranch.
Areas of Public Policy or Community issues:
I want to do my part to keep Jayton - Girard ISD as a top tier contending school in activities such as academics, OAP, band, and athletics while continuing school growth.
To maintain continued excellence, we will strive to keep and retain top notch administrators, dedicated teachers, and support staff.
Cody Scott
Your hometown: Levelland, TX
Your education: Bachelors of Business from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX
Your occupation: Automation Specialist for Occidental Petroleum
Your family: Shelle Scott(wife) Morgan(daughter 21) Tripp(son 17) Tucker(son 12) Maci(daughter 9)
Your interests: Watching the Jaybirds and Lady Jays compete, trips to the lake with my family and friends
Please list 3 key messages of your campaign: one sentence each. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals if you are elected/re-elected?
Key Message 1: Bringing education programs to JGISD that we are not using which would benefit our students as well as staff.
Key Message 2: To build a strong relationship between the staff, community and school board that benefits every student that attends JGISD in our decisions!
Key Message 3: Brainstorming with members on the board to ensure we are offering every child at JGISD the best opportunity whether it be education, sports, AG or any other opportunity that may benefit our students after their senior year!
What areas of public policy or community issues matter most to you?
The areas that matter to me most are providing the best opportunities to every student that attends JGISD. We should have the best educators in every area, best facilities and best working relationship with the staff to ensure we are giving every student the attention needed to make them successful when they leave JGISD! As a school board we have to be open minded and brainstorm as a team to be successful!
Lance Spray
Education: I am a proud graduate of JGISD.
Family: I have two boys currently enrolled in school here. Cooper who is a seventh grader and Casey who is in fifth grade. My wife Samantha is an online math teacher for Connections Academy. This is an online school public school. She has worked for them for eight years now and loves teaching from home.
Occupation: I am employed for Oxy Petroleum here in the Snyder asset. I currently over see all new construction and handle the planning of daily maintenance from Salt Creek to the Snyder fields.
Interests: When I’m not at work we spend time raising show cattle for the boys 4H projects. Jayton is a perfect place to raise a family and I couldn’t imagine living any where else.
3 key messages of your campaign
My first goal if elected is (Always do what is in the best interest of our students.)
Secondly: I feel with my background in construction I can help assist the administration with our on-going new project work.
Third: I feel obligated to make sure with a new administrator coming in, JGISD holds steady to the high expectations we have set over the years.
Texas Spur efforts to connect with incumbent Cole Carpenter were not successful.
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