Danville school board candidates have first-hand experience

Mar. 11—DANVILLE — Three newcomer candidates are running for seats on the Danville District 118 School Board.

They are Alice Payne, Kimberly Corley and Tierra Brown.

Incumbents Christopher Easton, Thomas Miller and Tyson Parks also are seeking election in the April 4 consolidated election.

The Commercial-News sent election questions to the candidates.

Four seats are up for election on the Danville District 118 School Board, Easton, Johnnie Carey, Miller and Parks. Carey, who is not running, was appointed in 2021 to fill the remaining two years of former board member Gladys Davis' term. Davis resigned from the board due to personal reasons.

Voters, however, will only be asked to vote for three candidates of the six to serve four-year terms. No one filed for a two-year unexpired term.

When former school board member Lon Henderson resigned in 2021 after winning earlier that year in April, it left his term to fulfill. The board appointed someone to fill Henderson's position, but that person would have to file and run at the next election for a two-year unexpired term to finish the rest of Henderson's term that still remained, according to Vermilion County election officials.

When candidates filed their petitions, they all filed for full terms and no one marked for the two-year unexpired term. D118 still will have a vacancy to fill after the election.

Alice Payne

Payne has been a Danville resident since 1974.

She's a retired D118 teacher and was principal at Daniel, South View, North Ridge, Douglas, Cannon and Meade Park schools.

She's a community volunteer and said she's had a lifelong dedication to serving young people.

She said she aims to "improve student academic outcomes and graduation rate; improve communication between parents, the community, and the district; ensure a positive and safe school environment; attract and maintain a high-quality staff; revise and evaluate current programs for effectiveness; ensure fiscal accountability. "Our Danville and Tilton children come first," she said.

Tierra Brown

Brown, 32, 2903 Countryway St., is a CTE (career and technical education) teacher at Urbana High School where she teaches business law, entrepreneurship and cooperative education.

She is the granddaughter of George and Ora Jimson and J.W. and Dizer Brown; daughter of Tanisha Jimson and Jerald Brown; sister of Tevin Smith, Traye Allen and Londyn Brown.

Education: Danville High School; graduated with Associates Degree in Accounting from Danville Area Community College; graduated with Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Clark Atlanta University; and graduated with Master's Degree in Entertainment Business from Full Saul University.

Brown decided to run because, "I desire to be an advocate for the children and families of Danville District 118 and I am truly passionate about helping young people succeed academically. I was born and raised in Danville and I can proudly say that I've excelled academically throughout my matriculation within District 118 from Pre-K to 12th grade. At the end of my high school career, I graduated at the top 10% of my class, received honor all four years, and received several scholarships including the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. I believe all students can be great if given the right opportunities. As a school board member, it's my job to create successful pathways to fit the current, modern-day era which includes college readiness and trade options. I understand what our students need to become successful and because of my determination and desire for change, I believe I am the best candidate for the job."

She said the most important issues concerning this office are: "1) Intense focus on improved graduation rate and post-secondary education opportunities. 2) Refining and Enhancing Conflict Resolution Initiatives and public safety initiatives. 3) A more enhanced parent/community-school communication engagement."

Kimberly Corley

Corley, 48, 347 S. Kansas Ave., is communications coordinator at Second Church of Christ.

Her husband is Scott, and they have four daughters, one graduated and three still in school.

Education: Fountain Central.

She decided to seek election because, "My husband and I currently have three children enrolled in District 118. I am a former district employee and understand what the staff, students, administrators and parents are dealing with daily. We all need to be heard and work together to start creating solutions to our very serious problems. We have excellent staff who need to be heard. We have caring parents who need to be able to be involved in their child's education and the choices that are being made. We must work together to make this happen."

Corley said, "The most important issues concerning our district are education, attendance, staffing, and violence in our district. Our graduation rate is 68%, and chronic absenteeism is 49%. The daily violence our children and staff are experiencing is not healthy for anyone. The board must find solutions to these problems and work together to help correct them. Communication is vital to have a healthy school district. Parents and staff need to feel they are being heard. We must be willing to talk to one another to be able to resolve issues."