BOE POST 1: Brett Schwartz

Please summarize your background.

49 years old, married, four children-two in college, two in JCCHS. Education-BBA Georgia Southern University. 25-plus years in business with executive management and sales experience.

How has your background prepared you for the seat you are seeking?

My background includes raising four children with the only candidate to have any children in the school system. I have more experience than my opponent in dealing with budget issues, financial matters and growth concerns. I have worked for Fortune 500 companies, been in charge of business divisions with sales of over 50 million dollars, started new operations in business. My overall life experiences have given me the ability to lead and manage the Post 1 area. We cannot afford on the job training with lesser experience.

Why are you the most qualified person for this position?

The next four years are crucial for the success of Jackson County schools in terms of growth and budget. I am the most qualified as my background is business related with emphasis on management and financial matters. With a budget of 93 million dollars, we have left the one room schoolhouses behind. The school board needs decision makers with education and experiences in life who can make difficult choices on what is best for the entire system.Not someone appointed because of a friend of a friend. The students deserve a board member who can work for the West Jackson area but also see the larger picture of the entire county needs. I plan on a four year term which allows for hard decisions to be made instead of voting for my reelection. The students deserve a leader who will vote for the best course of action, not voting to get along. A true leader is someone who makes the difficult vote and stands by it and will discuss his vote with the citizens. If need be, a leader will change his decision if facts/information prove different. A leader is not someone who calls for a tax increase, easy to do especially if you do not live in the county. A leader is someone who forgoes his salary increase and gives back his $7,000 gas allowance for the students in tight financial times. I have had to make tough decisions in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

What do you consider to be the key issues facing the campaign? If elected, what would be your plans on how to address these issues?

The key issues are budget and growth challenges for 2010 and beyond. The 2009 budget is already set however it is based on hopes and dreams. The hope is that the county will experience a five percent tax growth but so far, tax revenues are flat. So the board raided the surplus funds for $800,000 to leave a low balance just so they could say the budget is balanced without a tax increase. In doing so, they have not address the issues of renovation/additions needed at JCCHS for a 2008 estimate of $6 million dollars. The dream is that the state will fund the monies. The growth challenge is in the west and south part of the county. This area is where the largest increase in students will occur in five years and beyond. The board needs to plan ahead now and determine where new schools need to be built. Funds need to raised and land purchased before the housing growth restarts and land price skyrockets. I plan to be forward thinking in our growth and do something sooner than later when it is too late to play catch up.

What is the greatest challenge facing the person elected to this position and how would you address it?

The greatest challenge is the BOE itself. The voters deserve a board that is responsive to the needs of the community. Too often, the board shuts out its greatest asset which is the parents and students. It reminds me of the old county commission where secrecy and split votes were common. I am not sure who runs the school system - the central office or the board. We need community involvement to reduce the dropout rate, increase test scores, help the teachers inside the classroom. Perhaps if the parents felt that their opinion matters, we could have had more participation in the recent high school redistricting, we would have the needed money to fix the leaking gym roof at JCCHS instead of overspending the SPLOST money to build taj mahals in areas of the county where growth is 5-10 years away. The board could review simple ideas like retirement plans for the food service personnel, options for the teachers plans instead of figuring out ways to reduce and limit the input from parents and students. I would address this by having truly open meetings, the minutes of the board meetings on the website, once a month coffee house chats where board members can hear from the voters outside of a formal meeting.

What course would you like to see the county take as it grows over the next decade?

I would like to see the county, I include the three school systems, the local city and county governments and law enforcement, to work together, not separate, for housing and business growth. Business leaders know that the reputation of the school system in vital for continued growth. Just ask Clayton County. As the school system goes, so does the county. The Jackson County BOE has to prepare now for the future. Unfortunately, we can not hold back growth but we can work to retain the qualities of life which make Jackson County the place we want to raise our children. It is better to have empty classrooms at today’s dollars than overcrowded trailers just like Gwinnett County. We have a chance to learn from other’s mistakes. Planning takes time but we need to act sooner than later.