Latest news with #SchoolDistrictBoardofTrustees
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dr. Robert Sanders named Simpson County Schools superintendent
SIMPSON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Dr. Robert Sanders has been appointed as the next superintendent of the Simpson County School District, effective July 1, 2025. The Simpson County School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted in favor of Sanders. Mississippi names 21 new Military Star Schools 'The SCSD Board members welcome Dr. Sanders back to the district. Having previously worked in the district for eight years as principal and assistant superintendent, he understands the district and our successes, our challenges, and our expectations,' said Rev. Ralph Walker, Board President of the Simpson County School District. 'He can immediately begin working to improve student achievement and to increase opportunities for our students.' 'I am excited to be selected as the new superintendent of the Simpson County School District, and I am grateful to God for ordering my steps and bringing me back to this district as this point in time,' stated Sanders. 'I am thankful for the support and vote of confidence from the Board as we strive together to move the district to the next level of greatness.' Sanders recently served as the superintendent of the Hinds County School District. Sanders holds three degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi, including a bachelor's degree, an education specialist degree, and a doctor of philosophy in educational administration. He also earned a master's degree from Jackson State University. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Obituary: John Briscoe was a tenacious longtime Ocean View School District trustee
John Briscoe, a longtime member of the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees known as a dogged public rights advocate, has died. Briscoe died May 16 at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center after complications from open heart surgery, his wife Debbie said. The Huntington Beach resident was 72 years old. Briscoe served on the OVSD board for 16 years beginning in 2006 and valued his role as a public official. He was involved until the end, running for the board again last fall and for the vacant state Senate District 36 seat earlier this year. He was a Republican but worked well across the aisle, said fellow longtime board member Gina Clayton-Tarvin, a Democrat who said she considered Briscoe one of her best friends and talked to him every day. 'He would get endorsed by different groups, not partisan groups,' Clayton-Tarvin said. 'Some would lean left, some leaned right. It was like he was kind of an enigma, really, because he did so much good work for children.' Briscoe sued the city multiple times over the years on various issues and always won, Clayton-Tarvin said. Some of his most high-profile work on the OVSD board involved setting the largest lawsuit in the district's history, against Rainbow Environmental Services (now Republic Services) over concerns about a disposal site's impact on students at nearby Oak View Elementary. Briscoe was also instrumental in helping to pass Measure R, a $169-million bond measure passed by voters in 2016 that led to the modernization of several elementary and middle schools in the district. Former Ocean View School District Supt. Carol Hansen, who worked with Briscoe for seven years, said he was focused on rebuilding the credibility and stability of the district after asbestos was discovered in three district elementary schools in 2014. 'He had a laser-like focus on academic achievement for students, and doing what was right,' Hansen said. 'He stuck to what he believed in. He didn't veer off his own beliefs and values, which I admired him for that. He wouldn't be easily persuaded by others, he would do his research and stay focused on what his values were and what direction he wanted for the district.' Born in Altadena, Briscoe earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and speech communication from Cal State Long Beach. Briscoe also held a pair of master's degrees, in business administration from Claremont Graduate University and in public administration from Long Beach State, where he would lecture on marketing. He also recently earned his doctorate from National University. He and Debbie also ran a real estate property management company. Briscoe's involvement in the community also included earning an Eagle Scout title and becoming an assistant Scoutmaster. He coached youth soccer and baseball and was a member of Rotary International as well. He had a love of travel, according to his wife. 'He just had a passion for helping people,' Debbie Briscoe said. 'We took our grandson to Disneyland, and [John] would talk to everybody in line, everybody at the restaurant. [He said], 'What do you mean you're not going to school? How can you get ahead if you're not going to school?' He does the same thing at the grocery store. He's always trying to get people involved in the community.' Briscoe attended the same Huntington Beach church as OVSD Board President Patricia Singer, she said in a social media post tribute to him. 'He served as a greeter, welcoming others with that same warmth he carried everywhere,' Singer said. 'His faith was not just a part of him, it guided every aspect of his life. I will deeply miss our long, impassioned conversations about public education. He always had an idea — often unconventional, always insightful — about how to do better, how to reach farther, how to care more.' In addition to his wife, Briscoe is survived by his sister Cindy, brother Bill, son Tyler, daughter-in-law Penny and 2-year-old grandson Jeremy. Debbie Briscoe said a celebration of life service is planned for July 15 at 11 a.m. at Old World in Huntington Beach. The service will take place three days after what would have been the couple's 50th wedding anniversary.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Banning books prompts emotional testimony on both sides of proposed Nevada law
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Parents, political groups and a member of the Clark County school board slammed legislation that is aimed at ending local decisions to pull books off school library shelves during a legislative hearing in Carson City on Tuesday. Opponents called Assembly Bill 416 (AB416) a dangerous overreach and an attempt to silence parents. One opponent from the group 'Take Back the Classroom' read aloud a vulgar passage from a book that's allowed under school library rules. Lorena Biassotti, who represents District E on the Clark County School District Board of Trustees, described the bill as an effort to weaponize government against citizens. 'We're facing an epidemic of sexual impropriety in our schools, and this is your response? At a time when we should be taking steps to rebuild trust with parents who have fled public schools in droves, you instead chose to erode the love and authority we have over our children. Let's be clear, you're not stopping book bans. You're obstructing parents from removing obscene books like 'Gender Queer' that depict teenage oral sex from school libraries and charging them with felonies,' Biassotti said, testifying from Las Vegas. 'Has it occurred to you that maybe this is the reason for escalating tensions? These are not coordinated attacks. These are parents who are worried. Are concerned parents criminals to you?' she asked. Opponents said AB416 was too harsh in assigning a Category E felony charge for people who stand in the way of access to library materials or otherwise harass or threaten library or school employees. Democratic Assem. Brittney Miller, who sponsored the bill and led Tuesday's presentation in Carson City, introduced the bill as the hearing began. Nevada Democrat introduces proposal to ban book bans 'Assembly Bill 416 aims to protect students' rights to access information and prevent undue censorship in our schools, institutions of higher learning, and public libraries while also providing protection for our educators and library workers,' she said. The legislation is the product of collaboration with a variety groups, including 'a library board trustee who sadly is afraid to come forward for what she's already experienced and fear of further retribution,' Miller said. It comes amid 'a troubling rise' in attempts to ban books nationwide and in Nevada, she said. Democratic Assem. Erica Roth, looking for Miller to clarify what the bill actually does, said, 'All this bill does is put into statute from the state what we already follow and what the Supreme Court has already found to be the test regarding obscenities.' 'Yes,' Miller replied. Opponents ranging from individual parents to the leader of a political party harshly criticized the bill. 'The American Library Association should be held accountable for deceiving the public at the expense of children,' Lynn Chapman of Nevada Families for Freedom said. Parents and advocates who support the bill had plenty to say, too. 'My kids do not need to be protected from books. The only thing they might need protection from is bigots who want to erase them,' Tara De Quieroz said. She's the parent of two high school students. 'What's at stake here is more than just books on a shelf. It's the soul of the public education system, the integrity of our intellectual freedom and the safety of those who defend it,' Las Vegas resident Chandler Cook said. 'No student has been harmed by access to information, but countless students have been harmed by the absence of it. In an era of rising political aggression where educators have faced online abuse, threats and job loss, this protection is not just timely, it is essential. This bill does not say that all books belong on every shelf, but what it says is that no book should be removed simply because it makes someone uncomfortable, especially when that comfort is rooted in fear of difference, progress or truth,' Cook said. One of the bill's opponents referred to coverage on 8 News Now relevant to the debate. 'There was an article on 8 … Channel 8 News Now investigates, and it says, the heading is 'I don't like your d***': Las Vegas parents sue school district over daughter's pornographic assignment,' ' Joy Trushenski said. 'I don't like your d***,' Las Vegas parents sue school district over daughter's 'pornographic' assignment 'We are talking here about pornographic material being allowed, having our children allowed access to. And that is what I am against,' Trushenski said. 'This is so morally reprehensible and you should be ashamed of yourself for allowing that kind of stuff …' She was interrupted by Democratic Assem. Elaine Marzola, who was running the committee while Miller presented the bill. 'So, you are more than welcome to provide testimony, but I do not want you saying any disparaging things about this committee. And so if you would like to finish, you are more than welcome.' Trushenski apologized and continued her testimony in Carson City. Jeanine Hansen, leader of the Independent American Party, objected to efforts that intrude on parents' fundamental right over decisions for their children. 'We're very concerned that the process of our elected officials is removed unless we have the money to go to court and sue.' She said communities, parents, school boards and elected officials should be part of the process — not displaced by the Supreme Court's authority. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
