Alex Garner

Q. What is your top priority for the district as a candidate for School Board and what strategies do you suggest to address it?

My top priority is to fortify the strategic growth plan already in place; we are currently a B district, and I would like to see us become an A district. I hope to focus more on early childhood education and start our growth with our youngest learners to close gaps and strengthen our readers.

Q. What is the biggest opportunity that, if embraced by the district, would lead to an improvement in student achievement?

To reiterate my point in the previous question, I believe one of the best ways to improve student achievement is to focus more on early childhood education. A staggering number of students do not attend VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) and do not gain the foundational skills needed to kick off their education. Many students need an extra year to become accustomed to a classroom setting and VPK provides the necessary exposure to an educational environment.

Q. How can we ensure our Pre-K through 12th grade district programs and curriculum meet the needs of our business community in preparing students to successfully enter the workforce and/or pursue post-secondary educational opportunities?

We need to ensure students have their soft skills such as public speaking, teamwork, and critical thinking mastered before graduation. One way we currently and successfully do this is with our CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs. Classes within these programs including marketing, commercial arts, and digital design prepare students for the business world. In addition, the past two summers, I had the opportunity to work with the MTC Summer Discovery Program. This program is a great way to establish the expectations of vocation programs and show students options they have right here in our county.

Q. What role should local businesses play in supporting our schools to ensure students success and that they are graduating with the skills necessary for successful employment?

Local businesses should attend Advisory Council Meetings at their nearest high school. These meetings are an opportunity for stakeholders to see what our business teachers are currently teaching and help guide the curriculum so that students have the necessary skills to be successful employees. I also believe that businesses could offer more mentorship and internship programs as well as opportunities for scholarship if those are completed.