These are the candidates running for Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board District 4
Kevin Woods, who currently holds the District 4 seat on the Memphis-Shelby County Board of Education, is not running for reelection. Here are the candidates looking to replace him.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board District 4
James Q. Bacchus
James Bacchus has worked in the education sector for more than 45 years. He spent decades employed by MSCS, as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent, and was also principal of the Hattiesburg Public School District. If elected, he wants to review current parent engagement policies and support parents so they can better prepare their children for school. “Our parents,” he said, “must be their first teacher.” He also wants to ensure students are encouraged and motivated, and make learning “the mainstay” and testing a byproduct.
Alvin Crook
According to his LinkedIn page, Alvin Crook is an officer with Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water, a head coach with the Memphis School of Excellence, and the former president of the Shelby County Young Democrats. He did not respond to questions from The Commercial Appeal about his priorities if elected.
Eric Harris
Eric Harris has worked in the education sector for over 20 years and is the president of JESSRAN Corporation, an early childhood education nonprofit. If elected, he wants to help the district invest more in early literacy and social and emotional learning and take steps to further involve parents and the broader community in the district. He also wants MSCS to apply for more federal grants to help pay for building maintenance and energy efficiency.
Tamarques Porter
Tamarques Porter is a cyber security specialist with the U.S. Department of Treasury and a former teacher’s assistant with MSCS. If elected, he wants to push for high-quality curriculum materials, support teacher development, promote teacher engagement, ensure resources are equitably allocated, and provide “meaningful and differentiated tutoring,” which is based on students’ individual needs. This, he explained, will ensure students receive “targeted support.”
Anecia Washington
Anecia Washington is the center director for Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. She is both a certified academic language therapist and dyslexia therapist and has spent more than 20 years in the education sector. If elected, she would try to provide effective strategic planning for literacy instruction and would help students overcome what she referred to as the “3rd-grade barrier” ― third-grade literacy is a major focus in education and the time when students typically go from learning to read to reading to learn.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Here are the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board District 4 candidates
