Background on District 1 (Map): District 1 covers downtown, much of midtown and parts of Frayser. The candidates for District 1 are Chris Caldwell and Freda Garner-Williams. Ms. Garner-Williams did not submit her policy positions for publication.

Background Questions for Chris Caldwell, District 1

District in which you are running and years lived in the district:

District 1- lived in District 1 for over 20 years

Please list any prior experience in elected office:

None

Please list any public service accomplishments, especially related to education:

PTO President, PTA Vie President, MCS Parent Assembly Regional & District-wide Parliamentarian, Co Founder of Unite Memphis for Education, Founder of Community Fest at Idlewild Elementary, Co-Founder of CommUnity at Snowden

What is your campaign website and do you have any social media pages you wish to publicize (twitter, facebook, etc.)? If so, please list below

www.caldwellforschoolboard.com- yes there is a related facebook page

Policy Positions

1.   Reason for running: Tell our readers why you are running for school board.

I believe a quality public school system is critical for our community to meet its full potential. It addresses many of the issues that our community has struggled with- poverty, crime, racial unity, a growing tax base, providing a quality workforce to attract new businesses, and adequate tax revenues to provide prosperity and a great quality of life for all our citizens! I have a vested interest since I have a rising senior at Central High, a rising junior at White Station High, and a rising 8th grader at Snowden K-8.

2.   Your Vision: Shelby County Education has undergone dramatic changes in the past three years. Describe your vision for the future of our school district going forward and the role you believe educators and community members should play in achieving this vision.

I believe we can develop one of the highest performing public school districts in our country and around the world. We need to drive student achievement and close the achievement gap. The best way for success is to have an effective leader in every building and an effective teacher in every classroom. The District needs to focus on education and collaborate with community stakeholders that are already providing support services for students and families.

3. Evaluations Pt.1: Rate the current system of teacher and principal evaluations here in Shelby County, and describe what if any changes would you make to this system. Please explain why you would or would not change the existing system.

It is not where it needs to be but is headed in the right direction. More factors need to be considered in the evaluation beyond test scores- student attendance, socio-economic factors, and others factors that may be identified that affect student achievement performance.

4. Evaluations Pt.2: Explain whether you believe that the district should use teacher and principal evaluation scores in compensation, hiring and firing decisions. If you believe that they should not, describe how the system should best be utilized to improve education overall in Shelby County.

I do believe that evaluations should definitely play a role in the employment issues you cited. Additionally we should consider the additional responsibilities teachers and principals take on, as well as, the school climate & environment in the building. The size of the school and number of faculty & students should play a role in compensation for principals.

5. School Closures: School closures have become a hot button issue in our community. Explain under what conditions and for what reasons, if any, schools should be closed in our district and any alternatives you would pursue other than school closings if you do not believe they represent good policy.

First consideration must be given to the level of academic achievement- how many students are receiving a quality education that will allow them to be successful in college or career while helping them to develop into productive members of society. We also need to keep an eye on student enrollment & capacity utilized. Until we have adequate funding and resources we may have to combine schools or look at other ways to make sure there are enough additional programs to help them (i.e. science, art, etc.)

6. Teacher Recruitment: Shelby County brings in hundreds of new teachers every year from alternative certification programs (Memphis Teaching Fellows, TFA, and Memphis Teacher Residency). Explain whether or not you believe we should continue partnering with these programs for the purpose of teacher recruitment.

We should accept any teacher that can drive improved academic achievement. We should always be evaluating the effectiveness of any partners, increase the capacity in-house, and keep searching for more quality partners.

7. School Choice: Describe your thoughts on the current state of school choice in Shelby County (charter schools, vouchers, the ASD). To what extent should school choice play a role in Shelby County education and how would you take action as a school board member to support on your position?

We should give consideration to all programs that help us provide quality educational options for all children. We need to give thoughtful consideration to best practices around the world and adopt those we think could be implemented here- “the devil is in the details”.

8. Teacher Compensation: The State just passed regulations giving districts more freedom in teacher compensation structures this past fall. Describe your knowledge of the existing teacher compensation system in Shelby County and identify any changes, if any, that you believe would improve it.

We recently gave increasing bonuses to all teachers in the district based on their TEM scores. The administration is currently studying different options and plans to make a recommendation to the Board.

9. Personal Policy Priorities: What education policy issue is most important to you personally and how will you work to advance this issue as a school board member? Please use this section to highlight any policies that you believe were left out in any prior questions.

I pushed a policy through that defines 12 data points the administration must present with any request for funding. To me the three most important are: 1) sustainability of the funding source, 2) what are the metrics that will be used to determine success, and 3) what is the implementation plan.We need to have a policy that ensures that acceptance into different programs is not limited based solely on test scores. All students do not develop academically at the same rate therefore they do not need to be denied entry to academic enrichment programs based on previous test scores.

10. Personal Policy Priorities: Describe your personal leadership style. How will this allow you to be a productive school board member in addressing the issues you highlighted in questions 8 and 9?

State law does not give any authority to board members individually- we can only take action on the business of the district by a majority of the Board agreeing. I don’t believe I have all the answers. Each Board member brings different strengths and viewpoints to the Board. By working collaboratively we can make better decisions. My strength is the ability to listen to different and opposing ideas and making changes to my position to incorporate those ideas when they have merit.

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