Tasha White Running For Decatur School Board District 2 Seat
Decatur Metro | August 24, 2015 | 5:38 pm
The Committee to Elect Tasha White sent in this announcement…
Tasha White is announcing her intent to seek election to the City Schools of Decatur Board of Education District 2 Post B seat. District 2 covers most of the area within the city limits south of the rail line and a neighborhood near Decatur High School.
Ms. White’s goals are to:
- Maintain a talented and diverse team of school leaders, teachers and staff who are committed to excellence for all children,
- Foster a positive relationship and partnership with the Decatur City Commission in order to achieve mutually beneficial goals,
- Ensure each child, regardless of ability level, receives a high quality education that is equitable and challenging
- Address student growth through fiscally responsible measures maintaining our community’s high education standards.
Ms. White earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Tuskeegee University. Since becoming a resident of Decatur, she has been very active with Create Community for Decatur. As a member of this diverse group of civic leaders and community members, she was instrumental in organizing the Black Lives Matter coalition. She has been an active volunteer in her children’s school and recreational activities. Her bio further notes her experience with being on the board of a Parent Teacher Organization, and currently she runs two small businesses from her home. Ms. White has three children, two of whom currently attend City of Decatur schools.
The Decatur Municipal Election is to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.
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I find the comment silence concerning this announcement interesting.
There is much to admire about Ms. White. Tuskegee grad, degree in social work, businesswoman, supporter of the City Schools of Decatur, and member of the Create Community Four Decatur and Black Lives Matter group (interesting video found at https://plus.google.com/101068287723437528603), all of which make her an attractive candidate for many Decatur voters. Plus she’s just so damn cute!
Now that Ms. White has declared, I bet the movers and shakers on the south side are all in a tizzy about her candidacy.
I wish Ms. White the best of luck and look forward to meeting her and the rest of the BLM contingent at the diversity summit this Saturday at the Ebster gym. I’m sure they will have a prominent role.
People rarely comment in the evening on DM.
Sounds like Ms. White will be a great candidate. Can we move beyond talking about the way that women candidates look?
Hook, line and sinker.
You are funny, T. Walrus.
Yep, I was thinking the same thing.
I was very glad to hear that Tasha White was running for the school board. I’ve worked with Tasha on a variety of church and community projects. She’s great to work with. She’s smart. She works hard. She follows through. She can relate to people from all walks of life. And she’s got a vision that I think our schools need. Serving on the school board is a difficult and important job – especially now. I’m glad someone with Tasha’s gifts is willing to take it on.
CSD students and their families have fundraisers to support scholastic initiatives.
How do groups such as Create Community for Decatur raise funds for their political initiatives? Or are 6 figure sums provided by the commissioners at taxpayer expense? How much of the community action plan is sponsored via privately raised funds? Surely members of political groups such as Create Community for Decatur are as industrious and innovative as school students at raising funds for initiatives.
Another question for the commissioners, is all education political?
Create Community for Decatur is an effort led by faith communities and interested individuals in Decatur. To my knowledge no public money has been used to support any of its work.
Hello Ted.
Will those faith communities be organizing a prayer vigil for the folks murdered in Virginia early this morning?
While Tasha seems passionate about Create Community 4 Decatur and the organization, Black Lives Matter, I believe Tasha just moved to Decatur two years ago. She has not been involved in the school her son shares with my child. I wonder if getting involved in the PTO or SLT first might be a good first step. Just food for thought.
It says, “She has been an active volunteer in her children’s school and recreational activities.” Are you saying that’s untrue? Also, are you saying that a person needs to have lived here for a long time before they can add value?
New Scott, I feel some time and involvement in the Decatur schools would help give insight into the strengths and challenges of the school system.
I am not going to say that it’s untrue that she volunteers in her child’s school, but I am curious what volunteer work she has done in CSD and whether she is currently on the board of a PTO organization in CSD. Not a necessity, but again, one would think the more involved you are, the more insight you may have to the current, and numerous, issues facing this system and board.
I keep reading that she’s very “qualified” and “incredible” (possibly posted from her husband Kenneth??), but I’d love to hear more specifics about what qualifies her for this position. Is the small business she runs from home something that would further qualify her for this very important role?
From what I gather on Facebook she is a Rodan & Fields consultant.
Unlike most school board members in the US, Mrs. White actually has a degree in a field that relates to education and the needs of students. IMO, that should be a requirement.
American public education is the only field where people who have no experience or expertise in the field get to make decisions on how the field should operate. There would NEVER be a governing body in medicine that wasn’t comprised entirely of MDs/ PhDs. The same for law, science and engineering. In order to teach in CSD, you need a Master degree in Education, so it is a professional cadre along the same lines as the other professions I mentioned. Yet those who sit on the board do not have to have the same expertise. IMO that’s asinine.
As for this issue of PTO or SLT, I don’t think either should be a prerequisite. I’ve been in Decatur for a while and the SLT is an entity that has NEVER been given the authority that it was created to exercise. So much so that the state chastised the CSD a few years ago for its failure in allowing the SLTs to do their job. As for the PTO, it’s important to the life of the school, but where is the connection to the governance of the school system? IMO, neither really provides enough to make up for the lack of professional expertise in area of education, education administration and child services.
COD needs to stop electing friends, colleagues and neighbors to the Board and look strategically and critically at the composition of the board to ensure people actually have the expertise in education/ education related services to sit on the Board and more importantly to use that expertise to serve the needs of the community.
As for the pettiness from some earlier comments, this is really not the place for that. In fact, I’ve never seen that in a candidacy announcement and I’ve enjoyed this site since its inception. Now if we’re talking about restaurants and other matters, then it’s no holds barred….kinda.
No disagreement that experience and expertise should be expected in those governing our schools, but I’d counter that a key companion skill is the ability to manage differing opinions and agendas. Possessing the ability to get things done is an entirely different skill set than understanding what needs to be done. Unfortunately, I’ve met a lot of smart, credentialed people with good ideas who are hopeless at navigating the politics of community to actually implement.
But Scott u make the assumption that those skills cannot be found in subject matter experts. I would rather have a group of subject matter experts and if necessary one individual whose charged with execution if that skill doesn’t don’t reside with the group than a group of people efficient at execution and absent of expertise. Those who lack expertise in an area they are charged with governing can have the tendency to downplay the very expertise they lack or rely on consultants/ lobbyist to help fill in the gap. In the end, it makes them ineffective leaders because they leadership cannot be authentic leadership because they don’t have the depth of knowledge to run it well.
Look at the hiring of the last DHS Principal. Vitae are important, but there’s something also important in knowing who you’re bringing into a position and if that person is a good fit. Subject matter experts and individuals with true knowledge of systems and structures know far better than consultants and outsiders what works and what doesn’t.
Hey, now. I made no such assumption. I actually agreed with you, while adding that the ability to navigate politics and actually get sh*t done is equally key. The ideal candidate excels in both areas, IMO. One absent the other falls short in elected governance.
Ahhhhh…..apologies. I’m still weening off the cold brewed Starbucks.
I agree both are needed. I think in situations where there are elections, both should be able to be found versus areas where u see it in corporate and other settings where people are appointed or in the case of gov’t seniority is at play moreso than the best person for the job.
*Enthusiastically applauds DHD’s post*
“As for the pettiness from some earlier comments, this is really not the place for that.”
The pettiness of comments? Mrs. White “was instrumental in organizing the Black Lives Matter coalition.” In Seattle, the Black Lives Matter coalition accused progressives of being racists at a Bernie Sanders rally. Is this an ideological difference that Mrs. White shares with her fellow Black Lives Matter activists or does she share the same perspective as it relates to Decatur progressives?
Mentioning people’s spouses and accusing them of posting favorable comments has NEVER been a part of this site. Never. That’s what I was talking about.
Affiliating oneself with a group that stereotypes an entire group of individuals (progressives) as racists has never been a part of CSD. NEVER. That’s what I am talking about.
The Black Lives Matter Group here in Decatur is its own group – no affiliation with other Black Lives Matter groups. The Decatur Group was organized to protest the unneccesary deaths of black men at the hands of police officers, though we in no way think that all police officers are bad either.
Tasha and her family have lived in the City of Decatur for almost 4 years now, after relocating from Florida in December 2011. Her two school age kids have been in the COD school system since moving to Decatur
Involvement in the schools is not a prerequisite for being a school board member. In fact, the majority of taxpayers do not even have children in the schools. But all taxpayers should be represented.
This, in boldface type. I don’t have a dog in this hunt any more but if I did, I’d be saying (loudly) that the school board should not be an extended PTO. There needs to be broader, long-term vision to augment that of parents who are in the thick of it and necessarily focused on the near- and at best, middle distance. Not that parents don’t make good school board members (plenty have), just that it should not be a deal-breaking pre-req.
I think it is a great thing that a concerned smart, socially active, Mom has chosen to run for the CSD Board! As an active parent Tasha has hands on experience with CSD, and the opportunities needed to afford all children a quality education. I think this is something all Decatur residents can agree on; we want our schools to stay first-rate. Electing someone who is smart, focused and involved like Tasha can only help Decatur grow Better Together!!
I agree!
Tasha will be an incredible school board member for CSOD. She is incredibly committed to a better Decatur and would be an incredible advocate of the children of Decatur. Looking forward to voting for her this November.
So just how incredible is she?
Lol….I did utilize the word “incredible” quite a bit. Thanks for catching that as it gave me a good giggle.
My work here is done.
Ms. White is an outstanding candidate with well-rounded credentials. The School Board will be lucky to have her. She has my vote.
She seems like a very knowledgeable, qualified, able candidate, and the fact that she’d bring some much-needed (IMO) diversity to our school board is just a bonus. I’m glad she’s throwing her hat into the ring!
I’m very excited to see Tasha running for School Board! I’ve had many conversations with her about the state of our local and national school systems and I know that she is passionate about educating our youth and preparing them for greatness. As Decatur is poised for continued growth, I think it’s important to have a dynamic leader, like Tasha, to ensure that our kids, faculty, and staff are well represented.
It is wonderful that Tasha is running for the Decatur School Board. I have known and worked with many CCSD Board members over the years, and Tasha ranks right up with the best of them for her knowledge, her commitment, her vision, and her dedication. Plus she has two children in the CCSD, so she knows first hand what the issues are.
What is the CCSD? Do you mean the CSD?
Oops – yep, I meant CSD!
I know Tasha personally and think very highly of her. We have worked together on volunteer activities through our church. I have great respect for her intelligence, judgement, commitment and integrity. We are lucky that someone of her caliber is willing to step up and serve.
Tasha’s announcement could not come at a better time! Let’s all take the next few months to meet Tasha, learn more about her, what she brings to the table and only then make sound and fact-based observations regarding her qualifications and fit. I look forward to the upcoming election season to show my support for Mrs. White.
She is running unoposed at this point, yes? So unless someone else gets in before the end of next week it won’t matter what anybody thinks about her qualifications.
Thank you to all candidates who run for School Board. It takes a lot of courage and commitment to run and that’s before the hard part of serving on the School Board. I haven’t always agreed with all decisions made by the CSD School Board but, over the years, I’ve come to appreciate its hard work. We are very lucky compared to other school systems in the area that have had to deal with gross incompetence and fraud on their School Boards. I only know of two candidates running for CSD School Board so far this year but both are fine folks who will serve us well.
Do tell. Who is the other candidate?