Venus Cain has spent well over a decade representing District 9 on the Richmond County school board and says she is not planning to retire anytime soon.
The feisty Cain is well-known for her attention to detail, her particular interest in helping underprivileged kids and sparring with board members who disagree with her on policy matters.
“What can I say? I speak my mind. I speak up because I am passionate about the kids. It is all about the kids,” Cain said.
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When Cain and her husband Alfred were both planning to retire from the U.S. Army, she said they were offered a final stint in either Washington state or at Augusta’s Fort Gordon. They chose Fort Gordon due to Augusta’s temperate climate.
The Cains made Augusta their home in 1990.
However, after arriving and enrolling their two children in Richmond County schools, Cain said that the state of the education system in Augusta made her and her husband think that they had made the wrong decision and perhaps they should have braved the harsh Tacoma winters if it meant providing a better education for their kids.
Rather than sit back and rue the situation, Cain became heavily involved in the schools’ PTA and eventually decided she could do more good if she was actually on the school board.
“I was not happy, not happy at all; but we couldn’t just pick up and move, so I decided to get more involved,” Cain said.
It would take three election cycles before Cain was finally elected in 2010.
Once elected, Cain realized that she had campaigned for a job that paid a part-time salary but required a full-time effort. According to Cain, she began volunteering with City Serve, a non-profit group dedicated to pooling community resources from churches, other non-profits and community leaders.
Over her tenure, Cain has been vocal about the rising level of student homelessness and has also used her platform on the school board to scold over what she said is a “parent problem.”
“It is so important that we educate these kids we have now about science and math, but also to train them in good decision-making. We have to break this cycle of kids growing up with hardly any parental involvement. The school system can’t be expected to raise kids, but we can arm those kids with knowledge that will make them critical thinkers,” Cain said.
A quick look at Cain’s personal domestic track record shows that there were no parent issues in her household. Her children have both grown up to be notable members of the community with her son a small business owner and her daughter a teacher in Richmond County.
When Cain determined that the school system was failing her own children, she got involved and changed the school system by bringing her Army training and no-nonsense attitude to a school board that had long been mired in controversy and had seen a revolving door of superintendents and low graduation rate among the students.
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“I am so proud of my two kids, I am proud to say they both graduated from Richmond County schools and I am proud of the other kids that excel even despite their personal circumstances. I think of those kids as my own,” Cain said.
Cain’s husband Alfred passed away in 2012, and Cain said she enjoys gardening and attending any event where she gets a chance to dance.
“I have my garden, and I love to grow flowers and herbs, but I also love to dance. I’ve thought about taking lessons in belly dancing. I think that would be fun!” Cain said.
Gardening and dancing aside, Cain’s real passion in life is her work in the school system and helping parents resolve issues when they arise.
“If you are a parent and you call me, I answer the phone. If you call me, I will help you resolve your issue,” Cain said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
