At Broadway Baptist Church on Thursday night, candidates for the Richmond County Board of Education were given a chance to share information about themselves prior to Election Day Nov. 5.
Several candidates were not present for this event, including AK Hasan running in District 5, Mary Jane Abbott running in District 8 and Lee Blitch running in Super District 10.
An overview of each candidate’s presentation is listed below.
District 4 candidates
Shontae Boyd is a candidate running for a board member position that will represent District 4. Boyd has a degree in healthcare management and is employed with Palmetto GBA. She is a mother of three, and said that her children inspired her to pursue a seat on the board.
“I am a very involved parent,” said Boyd at Thursday night’s forum. “I have very high expectations for the education that every child receives. I do not feel that we should cut any corners when it comes to giving our children an education.”
Boyd said one of her largest priorities is communication with the community. “I talk to parents, I talk to teachers, I talk to principals, and they have ideas,” she said.
Boyd said she has attended every RCBOE meeting since she began campaigning.
Reginald Forrest is also running for a board member position that will represent District 4. Forrest is a retiree from the Savannah River Site after 39 years. He is an Augusta University alum with a background in biology and chemistry.
He said that education excellence is a team effort bolstered by the efforts of all school faculty: “It involves everybody from the custodial staff to the bus drivers, everybody, everything in between.”
Forrest said he has attended several board meetings virtually and three board meetings in-house since his campaign began.
District 5 candidates
Monique Braswell is a candidate running to represent District 5 on the RCBOE. Braswell originates from Brooklyn, N.Y. She moved to Augusta in 2005, where she became heavily involved in the community.
Braswell is a mother of four.
“Being a board member is looking at what’s going on inside of the school system, working along with the superintendent and making it happen,” said Braswell. “That’s what this position is all about.”
Braswell was vocal about two policies she would like to see changed.
One of these is a policy that requires students who have served time in juvenile detention to be relocated to alternative schools. She is also against zero tolerance policies, which she believes leads to students being unrightfully punished for defending themselves in physical altercations.
She said she is “not afraid to stand up to the powers that be” when it comes to students.
“Children matter,” she added.
Braswell said that she has regularly attended RCBOE board meetings over the past 17 years and attends annual board retreats.
Christopher Mulliens is also running to represent District 5 for the RCBOE. He is a disabled veteran who is the founder of the Freddie Mae Foundation, and he is working on obtaining a Doctorate in Education and Innovation and Leadership.
This is the Florida A&M graduate’s third time running for the position.
“I have been resilient about making sure I stay in the community… that is my motivation on why I run for the school board.”
Mulliens said that he’s interested in workshopping the curriculum needs of area schools. “Some of the teachers here say that the curriculum is not working… We actually need a comprehensive curriculum that includes everybody,” he said.
Mulliens said that he has attended several board meetings since he began his campaign.
Also running for District 5 but not present was AK Hasan. Hasan is a 1972 graduate of Lucy C. Laney High School and is a former Augusta city councilman. He has a history of serving as a board member for the RCBOE.
District 8 candidates
Dr. Onnie Poe is running for a position on the school board as a representative for District 8. Poe has been a teacher in Richmond County for 16 years. She is an alum of Georgia Southern University, Troy University and Nova Southeastern University, where she earned her Doctorate of Education in Instructional Leadership.
Poe said that in the role of board members she wants to bring “hope for teachers who deserve mental health support and to feel respected and heard. Hope for students who deserve to feel safe and empowered in schools that foster their growth and their creativity. Hope for parents who deserve strong partnerships with schools and confidence that their children will thrive.”
She said that she won’t make promises about what she can change but will be committed to listening to students, teachers and families.
Poe has not attended any board meetings since the start of her campaign.
Also running for District 8 but not present was Mary Jane Abbott, a lifelong resident of Blythe, Georgia with a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Abbott served as a high school history teacher at Jefferson County High School, the first principal of the Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics and the director at Reid Memorial Mother’s Day Out and Preschool.
District 10 candidates
Running to represent district ten on the school board was Samantha Valentine. Valentine is a parent with disability and has served as a professor at Strayer University, University of Phoenix, Medical College of Georgia and Augusta Technical College, specializing in math, pharmacology, statistics and curriculum.
She said that as a board member she will strive for fiscal responsibility and transparency. “It is very important that we’re transparent about what is going on with our money,” she said.
Valentine has attended two in-person board meetings and one virtual meeting since the start of her campaign.
Also running for District 10 but not present was Lee Blitch.
Blitch graduated from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business in 2009 and attended the Academy of Richmond County High School. He has owned the Whit Blanchard Insurance Group since 2021.
