Cullman City Board of Education Place 4 debate

1:16 Hello and welcome to the beautiful Bailey Center auditorium on the grounds of Wallis State College in Hansville.

1:23 Thank you to our gracious host Wall State College and Dr. Vicky Carlos. The

1:28 2025 debate series and question and answer forums continue today with municipal elections, more specifically

1:35 the Cullman City School Board election. These events are designed to give the public more unfiltered answers without

1:44 questions ahead of time, direct comparisons, and meaningful conversation. Now, we shift our focus to

1:51 the candidates running for place three. Both Cheryl Harrison and Jessica Savi are present today to answer questions

2:00 voters and residents would like to know. We would like to thank them both for

2:06 showing up for debate. We know this is always a fun thing to participate in.

2:10 With all that being said, we'll get right into the rules for the candidates.

2:15 No electronic devices permitted. If there are any smart watches, they are to be turned off. Questions will alternate,

2:22 so no candidate answers first or last more than the other. An opening statement is limited to 60 seconds and

2:30 may be a prepared statement. Time allotted per question will be two minutes. Closing statement is limited to

2:38 90 seconds and must be spoken without notes. One rebuttal per question, but only if a candidate calls out the other,

2:46 and it is set for 45 seconds. Facts only, no accusations without proof. This

2:51 will only allocate additional time to your opponent. Voters deserve substance over slogans. Talking points will not be

2:59 enough. So, let's begin. Miss Harrison, would you like to start with your introduction?

3:06 >> Yes, thank you. Thank you to the Tribune and to Wallace State for hosting us

3:12 today. I'm Cheryl Harrison, your candidate seeking reelection for Cullman City School Board Place three. Ben and I

3:21 are leaders visible and active in our community. were Cullman High School graduates and that legacy continues with

3:32 our children Sophie and Cole. Ser serving over the past five years has been very rewarding and I'm very proud

3:42 of the accomplishments of this board, but I understand there's still work to do. My why remains the same. I believe

3:51 in the power of student success. I believe in Cullman City Schools. That's why I'm here today. So, thank you

3:59 for the opportunity and I look forward to today's conversation. >> Thank you for uh your opening statement.

4:06 And Miss Savory, would you like to hear your opening statement, please? >> Okay. My name is Jessica Savorney. I'm a

4:13 mother. I'm a wife. I'm a former substitute teacher. I am a Wallace State

4:19 graduate. I am a longtime volunteer of the CCS school system and also I am a

4:25 Wallace State grad and a bear a proud Bearcat. Um I attended Cullman City

4:31 Schools my entire life. I love Cullman City Schools and I'm very proud of it. I

4:36 like Cheryl. Uh my family has been at uh Cullman City Schools their entire life

4:41 for generations. My great-grandmother went to West Elementary when it was just a small little school. Um, I believe

4:48 that the board has done the best that they can and they have done a good job,

4:52 but I believe that there are things they have not been privy to and that they do

4:56 not realize is going on. And I think we need to address those issues and it's

5:00 just time for change. >> Thank you for your opening statement. And we will start with Cheryl on the

5:08 first. We will go by first names from now on. Uh, Cheryl, the first topic is

5:14 vision. What is your vision for Cullman City Schools over the next five years?

5:26 My profession as an interior designer requires vision. So this is something that we take very seriously and I take

5:33 very seriously to heart. Where do we see ourselves going? Where are we on the

5:39 path towards? Initially that was building schools. We knew we had capacity issues. We knew we had safety

5:47 concerns. We're building schools. We weren't building schools 5 years ago. So now, where do we go from here? I am

5:55 most proud, I think, of the progress that we're making in combining East and

6:01 West elementary schools. That is going to be one school, not two separate campuses competing against one another

6:10 or this side of town versus this side of town. We're bringing the community

6:15 together and we're doing it as one system, one intermediate school with a fantastic

6:22 STEM lab where kids are going to build robots and learn to think critically and

6:29 be in a space that is both innovative and safe and state-of-the-art for our teachers and our students. So my

6:38 vision is unity. One of unity is one of coming together as a community and being

6:43 the best system that we can be for our students while they're here in Glass and

6:48 for their futures. Thank you. >> Thank you for your answer. And Jessica, same question on vision. What is your

6:58 vision for Cullman City Schools over the next five years? Um, like I said a while ago, I think the

7:04 the board and the system has done a great job of improving our schools and

7:09 expanding the schools. And yes, we definitely needed that. We needed better safety. We needed more room because we

7:16 have so many uh subdivisions and thing and people moving into Cullman. We have

7:21 to accommodate for that. But at the same time, I think we focused so much on

7:27 those buildings and improving those campuses that we forgot our students and we forgot our teachers and we forgot to

7:36 ask them what they truly need. All of that is great, all the technology and

7:41 the STEM and everything, but we've got to get back to being a community and a

7:45 family system where we respect each other, we love each other, and we come

7:50 together for each other. Thank you for your response. And Jessica will stay with you for question number

7:58 two on equity and access. How would you ensure all students regardless of background have access to

8:08 the same opportunities and resources? >> That's a great question. Um, coming from West Elementary and the west side of

8:16 town, um, I understand that there are a lot of students that feel they don't

8:22 have the same access that some of the more wealthier uh, families do. And I

8:28 can see that in some situations. Uh, one of the things I think we need to do is I

8:35 want to strive for us to keep uh encouraging parents and families to file

8:41 those free and reduced lunch forms. We are not doing a good enough job at

8:45 getting them to do that. If we have to incentivize it, then let's incentivize

8:49 it. those title one uh forms that get filled out, that income helps us to

8:55 secure secure title one funds, which brings in extra teachers, extra classrooms, extra aids for all these

9:03 students that we also are getting that are non-English-speaking students. That helps us out. That helps everyone out.

9:11 Uh if we have equality for all of those students and the other students, I think

9:16 that's that's going to be a key factor. Thank you for your answer on that

9:21 question. And Cheryl, same question on equity and access. How would you ensure all students regardless of background

9:29 have access to the same opportunities and resources? >> One of those one of the ways that we're

9:36 addressing that is by combining these schools. Honestly, uh right now, East Elementary kids have some opportunities

9:45 that West Elementary kids don't. And that's really a challenge for those kids at the other school that maybe wanted to

9:53 go to space camp. So I feel in that unifying the schools then we are

10:00 bringing our system together. We're able to better share resources that way which is actually you know being good stewards

10:08 of our resources in that manner and um looking at ways in which we can

10:14 specifically help children. I know within our prek program, um, our our teachers are helping families

10:24 individually, lower income families, and they're making a difference in their lives. We have incredible men and women

10:31 teaching in this system that are reaching out and going beyond, above and beyond to help in ways, whether that be

10:37 intervention or mental health specialists or counselors. they're really looking out for the children that

10:45 may be that may be left behind. So, continuing to do those things and

10:50 increasing those programs will always be um in the best interest of our students.

10:56 >> Thank you for your reply and we will move on to question three which is

11:01 technology. Cheryl, we will stay with you. What do you see as the right

11:07 balance between traditional learning and new technology in the classroom? That's a tricky one.

11:14 As everyone knows, AI is here. The future is now and we can't ignore it.

11:22 So, what we're doing as a school system, the superintendent is um is busy

11:28 attending conferences and learning and so are we as a board. So, we have to do

11:33 mandatory training hours and we're taking the initiative to sit in on lectures and do our due diligence and

11:41 learning more about AI and education. Just think about this just one minute. This board that will be elected on

11:49 Tuesday will write policy concerning AI in our schools. Just think about that. make sure that the people that you're

11:59 putting in that position even have an understanding of what that looks like. So, how do we how do we move forward

12:07 with that? We have conversations. We have open dialogues. We have meaningful conversations to understand how AI can

12:16 be best utilized in the classroom without sacrificing critical learning and that foundation that our system is.

12:26 so so good at at providing those children. They still need to think for

12:31 themselves. But of course, we're all going to use those technology tools to make life easier. It it will be in their

12:38 jobs. It's in our jobs right now. So, we do we can't ignore it. The future is

12:43 here. So, we need to work together to make the best plan going forward in how

12:48 to address it in a meaningful way. >> Thank you for your answer, Jessica. Same

12:55 question on technology. What do you see as the right balance between traditional learning and new technology in the

13:03 classroom? >> Um, I think it's I think it's really easy to focus on the technology and the

13:12 AI and everything and we should. Um, I don't think students should be able to

13:17 uh go to their computer and say, "Hey, write me a paper on this." And all of it

13:21 is spit out to them. But at the same time, I also see where AI can bring

13:26 information to a child that a teacher may not have time to give during class

13:32 because let's face it, they only have a certain aotted time to teach. We don't

13:37 have traditional textbooks that much anymore. Everything is on their Chromebooks. So, they have to go onto

13:44 that Chromebook to look up information. Anyway, my point is is that uh we all

13:50 use AI. We all know it. Um, writing policy, yes, is going to be difficult,

13:56 but I'm sure that we can find a happy medium to go in between.

14:02 All right, thank you for that response. And we will stay with you for question

14:07 number four, dealing with budgeting. How would you set spending priorities when faced with limited funds?

14:19 >> Just >> Oh, me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. How would you set spending priorities

14:26 when faced with limited funds? >> Um, so when faced with limited funds, I

14:32 think we should number one, you know, look to our community for help as you

14:38 know we often do already. Uh, we should make sure that we have checked into any

14:43 and all grant possibilities that are available. um any kind of federal funding, state funding, any any kind of

14:51 funding that we can secure, we should be able to try to get that. A good example

14:56 is is with the county schools. Their students are getting free lunches and breakfast this year. Our schools are

15:04 not. Why is that? Is there a grant that we could have applied for that we did

15:09 not apply for to get that for our students? That would have been awesome

15:12 for our students, for even middle class families. If you don't have to worry

15:16 about that lunch money, that's one thing off of your plate. We need to make sure

15:21 that we're exploring every option. >> All right, thank you for that answer. And Cheryl, same question.

15:31 >> Just to answer your question, Jessica, it is based on need and you have to

15:37 qualify for that. So perhaps one of our campuses qualify. I'm not sure exactly,

15:44 but I know all of them do not. So, we made the conscious decision to not peace

15:49 meal solutions. Every child that is in need qualifies for a free and reduced

15:57 breakfast lunch and they are taken care well taken care of within our system.

16:03 And Noah, you're going to have to repeat the rest of the question. >> Would how would you set spending

16:08 priorities when faced with limited funds? >> Yes. Well, this was a big week for our

16:16 spending priorities as we had our budget meeting on Tuesday and as Joel mentioned

16:21 earlier, we had, you know, a couple people in the audience, which is normal.

16:25 Um, but hopefully they were able to learn a little bit about what where our

16:29 money goes in our system. But I encourage you to go to our website. U

16:34 Mr. Brumley has it broken out really well. You can read and see that the

16:38 majority of our funds goes to pay our teachers and our employees. And um in

16:44 the event that we have something comes up and and we don't have as much money, then then we would

16:52 carefully consider um where we could make those cuts, where we could back out

16:58 those maybe those extra things that we do offer. after we have gone through the

17:02 channels of grants and such, we have incredible teams like our career tech um

17:08 and our arts that have just been awarded, you know, thousands of dollars for their programs. So, there is money

17:15 out there. There are partnerships out there if you're willing to do the work

17:19 and and our folks are willing to do the work and um secure those funds for the

17:24 extra things that we're so blessed to have at Cullman City Schools. Thank you for your answer and we will

17:31 stay with you for student preparation. What more can Cullman City Schools do to

17:39 prepare students for careers that don't require a 4-year college degree? >> So, currently we have partnerships with

17:49 other organizations um and KATA. So, so our students can get, you know, career training through

17:57 that. Um what we are purposefully doing and a lot of that points back to our

18:04 expansion at the high school in the new career tech building is bringing a lot

18:08 of this inhouse. So we really have uh more control over that of the

18:13 instruction of the programs that we offer and we you know are reaching out

18:19 and getting industry partners in that to to encourage those students and keep them honestly from having to get on a

18:27 bus and travel to um a secondary location. Uh we through uh Miss Brandon

18:34 and her work, we've really dialed in and um looked at our career tech curriculum

18:42 and made those changes. Looked at where the job opportunities were in our community. Where can we best serve our

18:49 students and prepare them for jobs in our community? And that's what we're doing um to continue to grow that. And

18:57 then of course we have our partnership with Wallace. What a a fantastic resource. We're so so blessed. So, if we

19:04 don't offer a cosmetology program while a state does so that person can um can

19:10 go and and take those classes and while they're in high school and get the

19:14 certifications they need to enter in to the career that that they're choosing to. So, I feel like we're on great a

19:23 great track with the efforts that we've made to improve our uh career tech

19:28 offering and getting these kids ready to go into industry and to work. >> Thank you for your answer. And Jessica,

19:37 same question. Student preparation. What more can Cullman City Schools do to prepare students for careers that don't

19:46 require a 4-year college degree? Okay. Well, I I would just like to say that um

19:53 my nephew who graduated a couple of years ago from Cullman High School was a

19:57 part of the Kata Academy and he went there and he learned some electrical

20:01 skills because my dad and my brother were both electricians and so that's what he decided he wanted to go into.

20:08 College was not for him. Um which is fine. And and I proudly support him in

20:14 that. uh he learned a lot at Kata and he is now working at a great job in the

20:19 electrical field making way more money than I ever did when I got out of high

20:23 school or college. Um so I definitely want to keep supporting that. What I

20:28 would like to see is maybe if we if there's something that we don't offer

20:34 that you know the Cullman count the Kata Academy and Cullman County just got a

20:39 big large grant from Senator Goer to build a new facility. Could we partner

20:44 with them? Could we help our kids go there if there's something that we don't

20:47 offer? Maybe teach more classes in the schools that deal with finance and budget because if you don't plan on

20:54 going to college, you're not still going to be relying on mom and dad and you

20:57 need to know how to take care of yourself with that job that you're

21:00 getting straight out of high school. Um, I think we could just encourage those

21:04 kids more and tell them that it's great, that that's what you want to do and we

21:10 want to help you get there in the easiest path possible. Thank you for your answer and we will

21:18 stay with you Jessica for this next question which is parent engagement. How should the district improve the ways

21:28 it listens to and incorporates parent feedback? >> So, being a PTA president uh for six

21:37 years at West Elementary, uh parents and students and teachers were my main focus. One of the things I can say I'm

21:45 most proud of was I started the community block party at West Elementary, which we had all kinds of

21:51 nonprofit vendors come and give out information to these parents that needed information about health services, about

22:01 uh daycarees, things like that. uh Kurt's closet, anything that they had a need for, they could come out, they

22:08 could have a good time, and they could go talk to these people and not feel

22:11 like they didn't have information or know where to go to get that information. Secondly, I think we need

22:18 school guidance counselors that are trained well, that are certified, that can handle these types of situations in

22:25 the school because sometimes these these children fall through the cracks because maybe a guidance counselor just doesn't

22:31 know what to do either. Uh I also think that board meetings could be a little

22:36 easier and I agree with what Tyler said earlier. The Cullman County School System, they live cast their board

22:43 meetings. I think that's a great idea. Um, I think the agendas are a little too

22:48 complicated for parents to understand, so they don't really know what's going to be talked about. I've been to

22:54 numerous board meetings. You go in there and it's like, "Okay, we're going to

22:57 vote on item one, two, three, yes, yes, yes. Okay, we're done." Nobody really

23:02 understands what we just voted on, what is going on. We've got to make that more

23:08 clear. We've got to encourage parents. We've got to have more community events for our schools.

23:15 Thank you for your answer. And Cheryl, parent engagement. How should the district improve the ways

23:22 it listens to and incorporates parent feedback? >> Our parents are vital to the success of

23:31 our students. I don't know how exciting school board meetings are and and I'm sorry that I

23:38 missed you when when you were at our board meetings. We do uh recognize

23:43 students um on multiple occasions and we also during the school year we cycle

23:49 through. So we have board meetings at every campus and we invite those parents

23:55 and those community members to join in and while we're there we're able to

23:59 spend a little time on that campus. That's that's intentional. Um so we welcome we welcome parents at board

24:08 meetings and um unfortunately a lot of what is on our agenda is you know

24:13 surplusing textbooks and things that are not super exciting. Uh but is the business that we we do attend to as a

24:20 board. We appreciate our PTA parents. Our home room mothers have multiple friends that serve in those roles

24:28 throughout our entire system. I even did when my kids were younger. That is a

24:33 great way for parents to become involved. Also served as a cheer mom and

24:39 I have uh 12 other really close friends that were cheer moms and we we had a

24:45 great time with our daughters. I've served as a golf mom, cross country mom

24:50 and all the other ways in which you can get involved. So So for parents, we

24:55 encourage you to get involved. We can't make parents choose that. But if you

24:59 want to, if you want to support your child, there's a place for you. Whether

25:03 that be sports or academics or other clubs and events, um there is a place in

25:10 which you can belong and you can volunteer your services and we're always helpful and always thankful for those

25:17 parent volunteers. Thank you. >> Thank you for your response and we will stay with you, Cheryl, on

25:26 extracurriculars. Do you believe extracurricular activities should be expanded further, scaled back, or maintained at the

25:35 current levels? And why? >> I think that's a trick question. >> Um, I don't know that extracurricular

25:45 activities are any different in Cullman City Schools than they are in other schools. We may offer we have may have a

25:53 more more of an offering, but I think that's great. I want every student to have a chance to

26:01 find what they are passionate about in what they excel in. That might be

26:06 football, but it may be art. It may be cross country, but it may be band. We do

26:12 have a place for every student, and I'm proud of that. I want to have that. We

26:19 want to support that and applaud that. So, we go we go to the um to the

26:25 performances. We go to I was um able to go to the band banquet at the end of the last year and

26:34 really just um enjoy the evening with those students and see their accomplishments and see how what a

26:40 community of students that is and and how they it was their place to belong.

26:46 So, for that I'm thankful. And does it need to expand? I don't know. Maybe it

26:51 does, maybe somebody wants to start a pickle ball club or or whatever. And so

26:56 we can look at that if if we have the resources to do so, but but I really

27:01 would um would leave that up to the experts and those are going to be our

27:06 administrators and our teachers sort of thinking through those things and then having those conversations at the board

27:13 level to do what's best for our schools and our students. Thank you for your response on that

27:21 question. Jessica, same question. Extracurriculars. Do you believe the extracurricular activity should be expanded further, scaled back, or

27:30 maintained at current levels? And why? >> Um, I agree with Cheryl. If if there are

27:37 other extracurricular activities that we do not currently have, yes, we should we should talk about those. We should have

27:43 people come to board meetings and bring those up or you know students go go to

27:48 principles feel comfortable enough to go to principles and say hey what about this what about that um I don't want to

27:55 make football coaches and stuff mad but I mean I think we should definitely take

27:59 a look and make sure that everything in our extracurricular activities are um are fair and um that no one is getting

28:10 looked over. Um, I also think that I had a conversation with a parent the other

28:16 day that I was telling them that I was glad to see their child had joined the

28:19 band. My boys play sports. I have one that plays basketball and football. I

28:24 have one that's played football up until senior year. And then this year he

28:28 decided to leave and go into uh co-oping half a day because let's face it, he

28:34 loves money. So, um, I'm very proud of him for that decision. He made that on

28:38 his own. But I think that uh when it comes to extracurricular activities the

28:45 if your child is involved in something then that makes them feel like they are

28:50 a part of something and that helps take care of some of the bullying issues that

28:55 we have. It's important to get your child involved. So if there's things that we don't have that we need to have

29:01 then yes let's bring that to the table. Let's talk about that. Thank you for your answer on that

29:07 question and we will stay with you on qualifications. What personal or professional experiences best equip you to serve

29:18 effectively in this role? Um so when it comes to certifications I think that our teachers are very highly

29:33 uh certified and qualified. Um I think that sometimes the problems that we are

29:39 having lately is we have people that are younger than some of our very qualified

29:45 teachers that are coming in and looking over their shoulders and maybe giving a

29:50 little too much input. I understand that there are standards that we're trying to

29:54 keep up with, but at the same time, those teachers know their standards, but

29:59 they need to be able to do it in their own way. I think we need to give more

30:03 control back to our principles when it comes to those standards. When it comes

30:07 to grading levels, I think we are asking to have too many grades and too many

30:14 weighted grades. We need to take a look at that. Also, our teachers are very

30:18 qualified. Um, we just need to keep that in place and we need to make sure that

30:24 we are still hiring competent and certified teachers and not just taking what we can get.

30:31 >> Can you repeat the question? I think I >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, thank you Jesse for that

30:36 qu answer. And Cheryl, this is qualifications. What personal or professional experiences best equip you to serve

30:47 effectively in this role? >> I didn't hear it wrong. Initially, when I ran five years ago, I

30:56 relied heavily on my interior design background. And within the interior design profession, there's vision and

31:04 there's planning and there's implementation along the way to realize that goal, realize that dream. And

31:12 that's really what I brought to the board. Since then, I've learned a whole

31:18 lot about what it means to be a board member. And I have had the pleasure of

31:22 serving with these men and women over the last five years who have respected

31:28 my opinions and respected the things that I have to offer. So what does that

31:33 look like now? Hopefully I've I've gained a little bit of information, but what I like to bring now is um a

31:42 collaborative spirit, but it's also seeking out best practices. So when we have the

31:49 opportunity to talk to other board members, to other people across the state, we ask them, "What's what's

31:55 successful in your district? What are y'all doing that's helping move the needle in this area or that area?" It's

32:04 very helpful to learn best practices and we'll take that back and we'll say,

32:07 "Hey, they're doing this in this in this city um or even in this state that's a

32:13 little different than us." It gives us new ideas, fresh ideas. So, I'm always

32:18 open to that and I that that might go back to my creativity and um and to my

32:24 actual job uh and profession as an interior designer. >> Thank you for your response. And Cheryl,

32:33 we'll stay with you for this next question. Local versus mandates. How should the board respond if a state or

32:41 federal education policy conflicts with what Cullman parents want? >> We don't really have a choice. The fact

32:51 of the matter is we're a public school system. So, um we have people that we rely on

33:00 such as um Senator Gudra as an example. So, so we want to have those close

33:06 relationships with um with those those people that represent us on the state level and the national level. Um Senator

33:15 Britt um and we we will we will make those calls. If that's something that

33:20 doesn't reflect our community values, then we we need to lean on the legislators because they're the ones

33:28 that are creating those policies and voting on those policies which do affect our our school. But as we rely on

33:37 funding from the state and from the federal government, we don't have the ability to not follow rules. So in the

33:45 event that something like that happens then we have to work the channels that

33:49 um that we know we can work and having a relationship having a working

33:54 relationship with them is uh the best way to see that our concerns are being

34:00 heard on that level. >> Thank you for your response. And Jessica, same question for you. Local

34:08 versus mandates. How should the board respond if a state or federal education policy conflicts with what Cullman

34:17 parents want? >> So, I think that one of the main things that we could do is we like I was

34:25 talking about earlier is communicating with our parents, with our teachers, um talking to them and getting them helping

34:32 us to go to these legislators and say, "Hey, we don't agree with this. We need

34:37 to we need to try to change this." Well, making sure we have good connections

34:41 with those legislators, which I'm sure we already do. Um, I spoke to uh Senator

34:47 Gudger the other day at a Republican breakfast and told him that I thought we

34:51 needed a crossover for the new Cullman Intermediate School. We've needed it a long time for West Elementary and he was

34:58 in total support of that and said he would love to talk to me more about

35:01 that. I think we also need to be in touch with our Aeas. Um, we need to

35:07 empower our PTAs and our PTOs more and get them to go to the legislators to

35:13 Montgomery to wherever we need to go because those parent voices mean us just

35:18 as much as our board members and our teachers. Empower our students to speak

35:23 out too. That's important. Also, let their feelings and their knowledge be heard. Thank you for your response in the

35:33 question and Jessica will stay with you for the final question. What standards will you hold yourself to

35:43 as a board member and how should voters measure your performance? So when it comes to accountability, I

35:51 want everyone to think that I am doing the best that job that I can, that I am

35:56 getting the most information that I can, that I'm hearing all sides, that I will

36:01 listen to all sides. Um, I I want them to hold me to the highest standard and

36:07 expect the highest standard from me as a board me member. I want them to know

36:12 that they can come to me and feel comfortable to talk to me. I want

36:16 teachers to know that I'm accountable to them, too. I want them to know that I am

36:21 not just a person that was elected and that is sitting in that boardroom. That

36:25 I am there. I am walking the halls. I am listening. I am looking. I see you and I

36:31 hear you. >> Thank you for your response. And Cheryl, same question on accountability. What

36:39 standards will you hold yourself to as a board member? And how should voters

36:43 measure your performance? As a board member, I hold myself to the same standards that I do in my everyday

36:50 life. I'm an honest, open, open-minded person. Every decision that I make at the board level is with one question in

37:02 mind. Is this what's best for the students? So at night when I lay my head

37:08 down on that pillow, I can go to sleep and rest easy knowing that I made the

37:13 best decision that I could in that moment with the information at hand. What's a little tricky about being on

37:20 the board is that so many of the decisions that happen or that are made

37:25 involve children or involve employees and and we may take a meeting on Facebook and we can't respond to that.

37:35 We can't defend ourselves in that moment because that student deserves privacy. That employee deserves privacy. That's

37:46 one of the most challenging things about serving on this board. So, I spent

37:52 Sunday night, two hours with a current teacher in a coffee shop because they

37:58 just wanted to be heard and I listened. My email is on the website. Many

38:05 teachers have my personal cell phone number. I'm available. I will meet with you whenever. I will talk to you

38:11 whenever. You can text, call, or meet in person. That is who I am as a person. People

38:18 that know me understand that. When I'm invited to attend the schools, then I

38:24 do. There's a when you become a board member, there's a mandatory training that happens. It's a multi-day training

38:32 and you learn the roles and responsibilities of a board member and in that you learn about the chain of

38:39 command and it's important to respect the employees in our system. So if I

38:45 jump down the chain of command and start doing a job that belongs to a

38:50 professional, I might be stepping on some toes. that might not be best. That might be

38:57 information that I have to kind of stay out of because that discipline um may

39:02 come before the board and we may need we may need to be as open as possible not

39:09 knowing all of the details. So, it's a balance. It's a hard balance sometimes

39:14 in dealing with time. >> All right. I know I said the last question that was the last question from

39:21 us. We do have a audience question. Do all candidates All right, y'all can

39:34 just answer yes or no. Okay. Do all candidates live within City Schools District?

39:43 >> I do. I do. >> That All right. With all questions answered, this debate is over for place

39:55 three. I want to thank both Miss Sarnney and Miss Harrison for coming out. I know

40:01 this is not fun to get on stage and have to answer a bunch of questions.

40:05 >> Uh yes, I'm getting right to that. And uh but I just want to thank you all for

40:09 coming out and answering our questions. I know it's difficult. Um Miss Harrison, we start started with you on uh opening.

40:18 So, Miss Aari, you'll be able to go first on closing statements. >> Okay. So, I had a statement ready, but

40:25 uh like Tyler, something came up. Uh I did not understand your question a while

40:29 ago on qualifications. Uh so, I'd just like to address that. My qualifications are that I have walked the halls. I have

40:38 talked to teachers. I have talked to students. I have loved on students. It's

40:44 time for us to get back to where our board members can walk through those

40:49 halls and do the same things. That personal connection is what makes you a

40:55 good board member. And I'm not saying that they didn't want to do it on their

40:59 own. I think maybe there were higher powers that would not let them. And I

41:03 know they started during COVID and that was a very difficult transition and most

41:09 people were not allowed in the schools then. But we have to get back to that

41:13 personal connection. I, as a former PTA president and as a substitute, know how

41:20 important that connection is. And I know that seeing those board member faces in

41:26 the school makes you feel like you're being heard and you're being seen. I am

41:31 open to talking to anyone. If you know me, you know that that's my personality.

41:36 I'll talk to you the same way here or out on the street. It doesn't matter to

41:40 me. I want to talk to you. I want to hear what you have to say. Can I fix it

41:44 all? No, probably not. But I can do my best to listen to you and make sure you

41:49 feel like you've been heard. So, if you would gladly vote for me next Tuesday, I

41:55 would appreciate the chance to come in and try to get back to what we were as

42:00 Cullman High School, Cullman Middle School, West Elementary, East Elementary, and now the Cullman uh

42:06 intermediate school used to be and what it can be. Thank you for your remarks and Miss

42:14 Harrison uh your closing statements. You have 90 seconds. >> Thank you to the Tribune and to Wallace

42:21 for hosting us and um for giving us this platform to have these important

42:26 conversations. Yesterday there was an article published in the Cullman Times. It was an article

42:34 Q&A for schoolboard candidates running in this election. One candidate took the opportunity to

42:42 answer a very important question based on the answer was based on rumor, hearsay, and untruth.

42:53 Things like that can really be impactful and hurtful to our system. That can hurt the very people that we're

43:03 trying so hard to give a voice to. Gossip does nothing for our system but

43:09 tear it down. I'm for unity. I'm for working together. I think together we can build a system

43:19 that reflects the best of who we are or who we want to be. Together we can

43:26 support educators. Together we can continue to raise the bar in academic standards. Together, we can ensure that

43:37 every student in Cullman City Schools has the very best tools to succeed, not

43:43 just in the classroom, but in life. Let's do this together. Like I said, my

43:49 why is very simple. I believe in the power of student success. I believe in

43:56 Cullman City Schools. I'm Cheryl Harrison. I would be humbled and honored to get your vote on Tuesday for Cullman

44:03 City Schools place three. >> All right. Thank you for that. Thank you both for your closing statements, for

44:10 answering our questions today. I want to thank you both for coming