2020 Cullman Municipal Election Debates: Cheryl Harrison, Cullman City School Board, place 3

0:09 good morning this is wc mann with the coleman tribune we are back continuing the

0:17 municipal election debates and today we were scheduled to do coleman city school board cheryl

0:26 harrison is the only candidate who will be joining us other candidates have declined to

0:34 participate cheryl was running against scott sessions scott earlier in the week declined he

0:42 has since gone into covid 19 quarantine and we wish him and his family the best

0:47 and and good news from the on the medical front cheryl we're going to go ahead and

0:56 get started here and by the way we are still doing our even with one candidate here

1:02 we are still following policies and procedures for social distancing and so we'll be wearing our masks and

1:08 speaking up please introduce yourself and let us know which seat you're seeking on the

1:17 coleman city school board thank you for having me here today i really appreciate

1:23 the opportunity to be here and to share a few things thank you to

1:27 those of you that are tuning in from home i appreciate your time and hopefully we can leave here today

1:34 with a better understanding of who i am what i have to offer the school

1:39 board and you know why i am seeking to run for this position my name is sheryl harrison and i am

1:47 running for coleman city school board place three all right what led you to your decision to run

1:57 i really thought about this for for a while was approached about running and really had to sit down and take a

2:06 good look at if how i would be an effective member and if you if i really wanted to get

2:14 involved in this and i ultimately decided yes i think that i have a lot that i could

2:21 contribute to the school board and i have a passion for coleman for the

2:27 people of coleman and the students of this district that's really why i am running for this position

2:38 a big topic in this election cycle in the city of coleman at all levels not just for the school

2:46 board but especially for the school board is education infrastructure so if you would take us through what you

2:53 see as the problems that need to be addressed at the campuses here in coleman

2:59 so we didn't go really into my background but after graduating from coleman high

3:05 school i went on to college and earned a degree in interior design so i have a lot of

3:12 experience in the construction world in the design world the biggest problem that the schools are

3:21 facing right now there are yes there are aging concerns with our existing structures

3:26 but one of the biggest things in immediate needs is capacity i met with mr wiggins

3:33 last week i was able to sit down with him and talk through some of his

3:37 concerns at east elementary and they don't have a janitor's closet their counselor i believe it's their

3:45 counselor is now using that space as an office they are busting at the seams their

3:50 classes are filled and now with you know the restrictions that have been put out there with trying to distance

3:58 these students within the classroom they are literally wall-to-wall with desks so we have to address those

4:06 capacity needs and we have to do it soon with a clear plan and a goal

4:12 for our future for our students they deserve to have a space that is healthy that

4:19 meets their needs so that they can flourish so that they can reach success all right

4:29 and speaking of the infrastructure we'll talk about funding because we know that building takes money

4:41 do you think that the school board or the city of coleman should fund the

4:47 upgrades and expansions to coleman schools i think that it's going to be have to be

4:54 a joint effort construction projects cost a lot of money that it's a big investment that's made

5:01 into the community you know i'm very encouraged by the remarks from the mayor's office

5:07 from those that are seeking to be mayor and the council they have clearly stated

5:16 time and time again that they're committed to the schools into the future of the schools so that i

5:22 think that is a great sign but we need to take a step back and really open those

5:30 lines of communication and strengthen that bridge between the school board the council and the mayor's office so

5:38 that we are playing for the same team with the same goals in mind

5:44 all right do you think that the city schools have what they need as far as technology

5:57 and if you see any needs what are they the covid 19 pandemic has been

6:07 on many levels such you know a crazy time such a trying time one where we've had to adjust make

6:17 adjustments along the way we are blessed in this community to have resources that other school systems may

6:23 not have i know they've been able to purchase through the cares act they've been able

6:30 to make those purchases to see that our students have the technology that they

6:34 need should they go into a remote learning situation i am very proud of what we have achieved

6:43 from our community you know i feel if you look at the top schools

6:49 within our state we are among those top schools but we're also some of the least funding per student

6:56 so i think that's a testament to our community and our community involvement that we are able to have the successes

7:03 that we have there is always going to be a need for the latest and greatest in technology

7:09 that changes all the time and we want our students to have the best that we can have to offer them

7:18 as they learn and grow through these years through their school years so that when they do leave coleman high

7:24 school they do understand technology and they are able to you know further their careers and

7:31 further their lives and their successes having that really strong foundation and technology is a big part of that

7:40 all right thank you coleman city schools are consistently ranked highly very highly in many cases

7:55 in the state acronym why do you think that is we were just speaking to that just a minute ago

8:03 but i think that is due to our community it is due to the administrators

8:10 the superintendent to the boards to the parents to the students it's a team effort

8:18 we go into it working together to do this for the students for their for their

8:24 futures for their success i was speaking with miss culpepper at the primary school and she was telling

8:31 me that they have hundreds of applicants apply for a job for a teaching job at coleman

8:39 you know i don't know that that's because the pay is any different than it

8:43 is in most places but i can tell you that it's this community and that that really speaks volumes for

8:51 the men and women men and women that are that make up this community those

8:55 teachers that are working with those children and the administrators that are overseeing them

9:02 all right looking at the future we'll say 10 to 15 years down the road from now what would you

9:12 like to see at each of the system's five campuses as i mentioned space is important to me

9:24 and i think that good space can foster learning it can foster innovation and productivity so i would

9:32 love to see a refresh if for the existing structures and new structures for those places that

9:40 need them where the demand is needed i really feel like the students deserve

9:46 that and it really becomes a sense of pride when you pull up to your school and you see the

9:53 efforts that the community has made for these students and for their success so that they can

10:00 be educated in a space that is safe that is healthy and that can foster

10:06 learning innovation and productivity all right that is the the last of the the planned debate

10:17 questions and we give each candidate a little time to finish out so please take a few minutes to let the

10:24 voters know anything else you'd like to share the floor is open okay thank you

10:29 thank you again for having me it's an honor to be here and to share a

10:35 few things i am a coleman girl fifth generation parent that has chosen to raise a family

10:43 in coleman i have deep strong roots here i'm married to ben harrison you may know ben

10:49 from coleman regional airport or as the 2018 burger master he he wears that honor well

10:58 and we have two children together sophie is a 2020 graduate of coleman high

11:02 school and cole is an 8th grader at coleman middle school he is anxiously awaiting that first day

11:09 back after high school i mentioned that i went on and i got an interior design

11:16 degree and the interior design profession it requires diligent planning it requires flexibility communication

11:26 creative problem solving and vision and not just vision but a path to get to

11:33 that vision a detailed path understanding that there are going to be bumps along the way

11:38 there are many curves along the way but if you have the right people

11:42 on that team the right people on that bus so to speak then you are going to get there if they

11:49 have the best interests of the students in mind if they keep their priorities straight

11:54 we will realize that vision i hope to have a chance to be a part of

12:01 that team and to move things forward i think together we can get through these hard times

12:08 together we can change challenges into opportunities for greatness helen keller once said alone we can do

12:16 so little together we can do so much i really believe that and i really want to work together to

12:23 raise that bar for the future of our students i'm cheryl harrison and i humbly ask for your vote on august

12:30 25th that's a week from tuesday as i see coleman city school board place

12:35 three thank you so much thank you