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Article published Oct 23, 2008 Three candidates vie for Maryville school board
By Matthew Stewart of The Daily Times Staff
Three candidates will be competing Nov. 4 for two Maryville school board seats.
Doug Jenkins, the school board's current vice chairman, Charles West and Bethany Hodson Pope are running this year.
Board member Mark Cate is not running for reelection.Doug Jenkins
Jenkins is running for his third term on the Maryville Board of Education. During the school system's current building projects, he has served as the board's representative on the Maryville Public Building Authority.
Jenkins currently owns Foothills Contracting with his business partner, Steve Fillmore. He has been involved in the construction industry for 20 years.
Jenkins is a University of Tennessee graduate with bachelor's degrees in both animal science and education.
Jenkins taught science for 13 years at South Doyle High School. He also coached the school's basketball and football teams.
His wife, Joan, teaches reading at Maryville Intermediate School. The couple's two children both graduated from the Maryville school system.
Jenkins feels his school board experience is invaluable in the school system's current environment. "It just makes sense right now that we not have a lot of change (on the school board). We are already losing one board member and going through a lot," he said.
"Some experience and stability is really important with all the changes -- we have a new director of schools, assistant director of schools and several school projects," said Jenkins.
Another concern is the new Basic Education Program (BEP) 2.0 formula that calculates state funding, he said. However, "the central office staff is already out there leading the fight against BEP 2.0," said Jenkins.
Current school board members work well together, he said. "We have a great chemistry. We work together, respect each other and listen to each other," said Jenkins. "We try as a group to process information and make educated decisions. We do make mistakes, but we're willing to learn from them and move on.
"There are no real personal agendas on the board. We don't pick specific items (to advance). As a school board, we try to pull together and determine if (the school system is) heading in the right direction. We don't try to do (the administrator's) job -- we try to facilitate their job. We believe in site-based management and try to listen to the expertise within the system."Charles West
West is the president and chief executive officer of West Chevrolet, 3450 Alcoa Highway, Alcoa. He is a 1992 graduate of Maryville High School and a graduate of University of Tennessee.
West, the son of former Maryville Mayor Steve West, feels the next four years will be a critical time for the school board.
"Funding for the next decade will be tight with (the city's) population growth and BEP 2.0, which is hurting our revenue stream. (The state is) not cutting money, but restricting growth in the future. That's where it will really hurt us," he said.
"This is not going to be the easiest time to be on the school board. I'm looking forward to bringing my decisive leadership and diplomacy to the board and superintendent. I'm optimistic. The city of Maryville has faced challenges in the past and always came out on top."
Maryville City Schools also needs to stay ahead of the technology curve, said West. "We've always been on the forefront of putting technology in the hands of students. In Maryville, we've always been proud to provide a private school quality education in a public school environment. That's what makes Maryville such a good place to live," he said. "It's something we want to protect so we can produce good outcomes for students."
West would also like the community to have an open line of communication with faculty, administrators and teachers.Bethany Hodson Pope
Pope, a 1994 graduate of Maryville High School and a 1998 graduate of Maryville College, is Ruby Tuesday's human resource manager.
She began attending Maryville's school board meetings when her son started kindergarten last fall. After hearing a report about the school system's overcrowding last year, Pope "felt a passion to be on the board," she said.
"I want to uphold the values we've always had and make sure we have better communication. I don't want anything to sneak up on us, and I want to be proactive," said Pope. "I remember going to school at Maryville High School, and it prepared me for college. I want to make sure my kids' experience that as well.
"The board's job is to be there to make a difference for the kids, and there is always potential to be better. We're the best in the area, but we're not the best in the country. There's lots of ideas we could get from other places."
Pope agrees that funding is the biggest problem Maryville's schools face. BEP 2.0 was "a good idea. Unfortunately, Maryville city isn't benefitting in a similar way as the larger cities -- it's a hot topic. The state doesn't provide enough money to (the school system) -- it's minimal," she said. "Then it's up to the city to make up the difference. Where do we get the money? This is part of the communication people haven't heard.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to be an advocate for the school system, teachers and children. This (position) is obviously a service we're doing for the community -- (board members) are the community's voice," said Pope.