On Tuesday, Carroll County voters will choose two members of the county’s school board.
Voters in Beats 3 and 4 will elect board members who will serve six-year terms.
In Beat 3, incumbent Daniel Vest and William Downs both say they are the right choice for the seat.
Vest
Vest has served on the board since 2013. He is a native of Coila and a graduate of the Carroll County Schools. He and his wife, Bridgette, have four children.
During a 2014 interview with The Conservative, Vest said he was blown away as to how far Carroll County has come technologically, and in board meetings, he’s vocal about where he stands, how he feels, and what’s best for the students of Carroll County.
Vest said he’s surrounded by board members who are some of the smartest people he knows, but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid to challenge them.
Downs served on the Carroll County School Board in the early 1990s.
A former educator, he previously worked for the Greenwood Public School District and the former Winona Separate School District. At Greenwood High and Winona High, Downs taught auto mechanics and coached football and high school girls track. He also drove a bus.
Downs, 58, is a member of Centerville Baptist Church, and he and his wife, Angie, have one daughter, Lani Downs Mulvihill. He’s employed by Barrentine Trailers. Downs said he is running for the school board to “make sure the students of Carroll County Schools receive the best-quality education.”
Downs
He said he wants to ensure that money is being spent in the right places, that teachers have the items that they need and that students arrive at school and return home in the safest way possible.
In Beat 4, two candidates are vying for the seat currently held by Laura Davis, who is not seeking re-election. Both are from Coila, both are former educators, and both say they want to see what’s best for the students of Carroll County.
Martha Foreman Simpson, 58, is a political newcomer. She and her husband, Richard, have seven children. She holds a bachelor’s degree and is part owner of Little Saints Daycare Center and Dex’s Sports and Recreation Center in McCarley and is a former teacher in the Leflore County School District. She a member of New Revelation Missionary Baptist Church in McCarley.
She said she wants to see programs that will give students college credits before leaving J.Z. George High School and trade classes that can lead students straight to jobs and help create a better workforce for Carroll County. She also wants to hire the best teachers who will help the students excel and wants students to understand the importance of education more than athletics.
Foreman Simpson said she would like to see welding, brick masonry and agriculture taught at the Career and Technical Center. “Our students have to be able to compete with kids out of state so they can go on and do well, make a decent living when they leave out of state.”
She said she also wants to see more than one pre-kindergarten class at Marshall Elementary. “Our children need that beginning; they need that take-off point,” she said.
John L. Phillips, 65, known to most as Coach Phillips, has 32½ years of experience in education and has worked as a head football coach, basketball coach and athletic director. He’s also worked as a mentor and tutor at J.Z. George High School and Marshall Elementary School. He has 30 years of military experience and held the position of first sergeant in the Army National Guard.
Phillips and his wife, the former Deborah L. Owens, have been married for 34 years and have two daughters, Mary L. Bishop and Jo’Niece L. Phillips; a son-in-law, Jeremy Bishop; and a granddaughter, Zoe A. Bishop. The couple has one goddaughter, Jennifer Tanner, and two great-godchildren, Kadon Ghee and Kalyn Tanner.
He said he wants to run because “I believe I can help our school with different issues to encourage parents and students how important education is personally to an individual, our community and county.”
Phillips said the problems he sees are a shortage of teachers and a lack of parental involvement in children’s education.
“Those are the concerns that I will address first,” Phillips said. “I would encourage parents to get involved and encourage the community to support public education.”
