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Radious Y. Guess
Candidate for: Tulsa District 5
Age: 50
Birthplace: Denver
Lived in District 5: 7 years
Lived in Tulsa: 7 years
Job Title/Employer: owner, educator and trainer, EPU Consultants; adjunct faculty member, Northeastern State University
Married to: Darryl S. Payton
Number of children/schools they attend(ed): Four children attend Bunche Early Childhood Development Center (TPS), Zarrow International School (TPS), Monte Cassino School (private), and Bethany Community School (private).
Religious or civic organization affiliations, including any leadership positions: member, The People's Church (protestant); gubernatorial appointee, Interagency Coordinating Council for Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Oklahoma; gubernatorial appointee, Commission for the Protection of Children, Nebraska; family chair, Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Oklahoma Chapter; board member, Oklahoma PTA; founding president, Zarrow International School PTA; president, Tulsa Council of PTAs; diversity chair, USA Track and Field; KidsChurch Store proprietor, The People's Church; chair, Athletes Advisory Committee, USA Track and Field; member, Budget & Audit Committee, USA Track and Field.
Registered voter? Yes
Previously sought or held elected office and if so, when and what office? NoHighest level of education, name of institution, and year graduated: Master of Arts, University of Nebraska--Lincoln, 1996.
Candidate views:
Why are you seeking this position? I have seven years experience working for a state education agency (the Colorado Department of Education), I have 8 years experience working for a local education agency (the Lincoln Public Schools in Nebraska), and I am an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern State University. I am also president of the Tulsa Council of PTAs and officer for the Oklahoma PTA board of directors. My professional and volunteer experience as a school administrator, teacher, stay at home mother of four, PTA officer, and business owner, indicate that I am the best candidate for this very important position. My election to the Tulsa school board will enable me to be an effective policy maker and advocate for teachers, students, parents and the community at large everyday, without exception.
What do you believe are the chief responsibilities of a school board member? The school board sets the vision for the school district and the decisions they make at their bi-monthly meetings make a difference in the schools. The most important thing a school board does is to establish a vision for the community's schools that reflects a consensus of the teachers, board, district staff, and overall community. The school board has a wide variety of additional responsibilities such as adopting a balanced annual budget and issuing interim financial reports, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions, approving curriculum materials and closing or constructing schools.
How much time would you plan to spend in the schools in your voting district on a weekly basis? As president of the Tulsa Council of PTAs, I already spend quality time developing relationships and building coalitions in the schools. Being on the Tulsa school board will allow me the opportunity to continue a regular practice of being present in the schools.
What should the relationship of the school board be to the superintendent? One of the board's most important functions is selection and evaluation of the superintendent. School boards are most successful when members work constructively and productively with each other, with the superintendent and with staff. Effective working relationships begin with acknowledgement that each board member brings gifts and strengths to the process, that diversity of opinion leads to strong decisions, and that students are best served when adult leaders establish stable, long-term commitments to their progress. The relationship between the school board and the superintendent should be that of a high performing governance team whose main focus is that of keeping the educational interest of children first amongst their priorities. The relationship should also be that of a partnership centered on quality teaching and learning.
What are the greatest strengths of the school district? Parents that coexist as partners with schools are a great strength of the school district. Another strength is the district's teachers, which represent some of the most dedicated employees I know. For five days a week, teachers of all levels are called upon to get to know each student in order to individualize instruction in ways that address the personal needs, abilities, and interests of every child, everyday, without exception. A number of the district's teachers are National Board Certified Teachers, another great strength of the district.
What are the greatest weaknesses of the school district? The greatest weakness of the district falls upon teachers who do an exceptional job and receive little or no extra compensation and little in the way of acknowledgement. We also don't offer enough quality time for teachers to make lesson plans and collaborate with their subject and/or grade level peers. Expanding resources for district staff to re-open lines of communication would also be an area for growth.
What changes and/or new initiatives, if any, would you like to see in Tulsa Public Schools? I would like to see the secondary schools offer a change in the start of the school day (10a.m. to 5 p.m.). I would also like to see more teachers and parents actively participating on committees that hire administrative staff (principals and directors of programs). I would like for all of the half-day four-year-old programs to become full-day four-year-old programs. I would like to see more children being taken on extended outdoor trips that blend lessons across the curriculum.
Please include any other comments or concerns you have about the school district here: Unless we raise teacher salaries there is little hope that we will attract the quality and quantity of teaching candidates that our schools will need in the very near future. We must continue to work to create the conditions in our schools that foster continuous improvement. We must resist some of the simplistic quick fixes that legislatures often try to foist upon schools. We must celebrate the aspects of the teaching profession that make it so uniquely rewarding.
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