Party affiliation versus value systems…

I have always been a proud Republican and happen to be the Republican-endorsed candidate for School Board. I have learned, however, that the most important aspect for any citizen to know about each candidate is his or her value system. Each elected official will be faced with challenging decisions. What set of core principles does your candidate possess that hopefully he or she will be relying on to make these tough decisions? It has to be about more than just saying them – what evidence do they have that they have lived by them.

Randy Schulkers is a man who is a conservative by principles and who is running as an independent. I respect and admire the man that he is and how he has honored his word over and over again. Trust is a tough word to use in this business but I trust Randy to be my representative for the Board of Supervisors for District 4. I hope you will support Randy on the 8th. As he always says, “we can make Powhatan an even better place to live.”

Debbie M. Jones – District 4 School Board

Friends & Neighbors,As many of you already know, I am currently serving as your 4th District representative for the Powhatan County School Board and I am running for re-election to that seat. I have spent the majority of the last 24 years assisting youth and young adults, both professionally as well as through volunteer service, in achieving educational success.
I am also a national level educational consultant to one of the Department of Labor’s federal job training programs assisting with policy development, program compliance and staff training support.I am a proud parent and a former teacher and education administrator so I have been on both sides of the table. As a parent, I have chaired advisory committees and served on the PTO. I have been a small business owner and have completed graduate level work toward an MBA so my expertise in the business world dovetails with my years of working in field of education. I am a lifelong learner and routinely attend conferences, workshops and take classes to remain current in my field including completion of master’s level coursework recently in the area of educational psychology.
The economic downturn has caused us all, i.e. families, business owners, individuals, to have to tighten the belt. Serving on the school board over the last four years has been a difficult experience at times but although the work that had to be done and the decisions that had to be made were difficult ones, they were also critical to maintaining the excellence of our local educational system. We have made the painful choices to downsize and cut spending so that the children’s core educational needs and basic opportunities would be preserved. Even in these difficult times, I have been mindful of the bottom line while carefully balancing the needs of the children. I understand the importance of providing responsible oversight to your tax-payer dollars in a fiscally responsible manner. Oversight as a school board member, however, is not just about the bottom line. It also requires that we be mindful of the quality of education that the children of this county receive. There is no greater gift or greater demand on us as a county than that of doing our very best to ensure that each and every child leaves this school system with a meaningful credential and becomes a self-sufficient tax-paying citizen. Maintaining fiscally sound practices and quality educational performance requires School Board members who understand educational systems. For those of you who may not yet know me, I and my husband, Don, have been residents of Powhatan County since 2000. Don is an IT consultant and my “day job” is working as a Disability Program Analyst. We have three boys that I am so proud to be Mom to, a golden retriever, and two cats! Our youngest son, Bryce, is on the autism spectrum disorder and has muscular dystrophy and like our other boys, brings great joy into our lives. He constantly teaches me about exceeding expectations and appreciating the joys of the simple pleasures in life that we so often take for granted. I also am a long-standing conservative with traditional values. My goal has been to serve you, the taxpayers, and our children in a transparent and fiscally responsible manner. I have done that and commit to continuing to do the same over the course of the next four years. The next four years will likely be even more difficult than those we have already experienced. There will be more difficult decisions to make and a strong need for strategic planning and a clear vision about navigating these difficult times. I am committed to doing the work that lies ahead. We can be accountable and run exceptional programs while maintaining the values that are important to us as a community. I ask for your vote on November 8th. God Bless, Debbie