Danny Everett

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Danny Everett

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Paul Quinn College, 2004

Other

United Theological Seminary, 2020

Graduate

Southern Methodist University, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

District of Columbia

Religion

Methodist (United)

Profession

University professor

Contact

Campaign website

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Danny Everett ran for election to the Fayette County Public Schools school board to represent District 3 in Kentucky. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Everett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Danny Everett was born in Washington, D.C.. Everett's career experience includes working as a university professor. He earned a bachelor's degree from Paul Quinn College in 2004, a graduate degree from Southern Methodist University in 2008, and a degree from the United Theological Seminary in 2020.

Everett has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Leadership Kentucky (Alum)
• Leadership Lexington (Alum)
• Lexington Chapter of the NAACP
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
• Kentucky Coalition Against the Death Penalty
• FCPS Equity Council Committee
• Pritchard Committee Equity Coalition

Elections

2024

See also: Fayette County Public Schools, Kentucky, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Fayette County Board of Education District 3

Kathleen Christian defeated Isaac Sebourn and Danny Everett in the general election for Fayette County Board of Education District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kathleen Christian (Nonpartisan)	37.7	8,222
	Submit photo	Isaac Sebourn (Nonpartisan)	31.9	6,953
		Danny Everett (Nonpartisan)	30.3	6,610

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,785
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gregory Brenner (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Everett in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 2, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Danny Everett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Everett's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Danny Anthony Everett, a 15-year resident of Fayette County, and I believe all students deserve a "world-class" education, accomplished through early childhood engagement, equitable schools, and experienced, effective leadership. As a member of the Board of Education, I will fiercely champion the resources, support, and policies needed for Fayette County Public Schools to become a model K-12 system in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the world. I am a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate. I have been endorsed by C-Fair, Teamsters LU 651, and KEPAC. I have a bachelor’s degree in organizational management, a master’s degree emphasizing urban transformation, a doctorate with research focused on Educational Leadership for K-12 students, and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace. My experiences span the range, breath and depth, of corporate executive, non-profit leader, social entrepreneur, and advocate for world-class education. Handed down from my great-grandparents whose shoulders I stand on and who dreamt that their progeny would become doctors and serve humanity, education is a family value. I am experienced, educated, excited, and ready to serve as the District 3 representative to the Fayette County Public Schools Board of Education.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Early Childhood Engagement – Our 2023-2024 numbers for kindergarten-readiness has been less than 50%. I envision “Early Childhood Engagement” as the foundation for our students’ future, with partnerships that are holistically prepared to provide quality environments for early learning, addressing with intent health, safety, social emotional development, economic, and other stressors. I want to increase Fayette County Public Schools’ partnerships with engagement that speaks to services and multi-governance that are intentional in connecting and navigating experiences and challenges for children at the Pre-K stage.
• Equitable Schools – Board leadership must champion resources, support, and policies needed for our students to obtain equity in schools and a world-class education, and for our district to become the model K-12 system it can be. I envision “Equitable Schools” in the district as institutions that are accessible, inclusive, quality, collaborative, accountable, autonomous, flexible, and resourceful, providing policies, practices, and imaginative investments for students whose cultures have been marginalized and oppressed. An equitable school provides a safe space with processes and intentionality for students and staff to attain their highest goals by using resources equitably with strategies for each individual student.
• Experienced, Effective Leadership - I am a goal-oriented, driven to act catalyst, social change agent, and advocate for the impactful well-being of our students and our community. Here are a few examples of my leadership:

  • FCPS Equity Council Committee • Equity Coalition of the Pritchard Committee • Naming Committee for Britton Middle School • Interview Committee for the principal of The Hill • YMCA Black Achievers’ Advisory Board • JAG Program at Bryan Station High School • Former Chair of the Lexington-Fayette County Human Rights Commission • Former Vice Chair of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights

  • Leadership Lexington and Leadership Kentucky Classes of 2010

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about the following public education policies:

• Ending the school to prison and deportation pipelines
  
• Eliminating exclusionary school discipline policies
  
• Supporting the full inclusion of students of color and disabilities in a positive and healthy Police-Free-School environment
  
• Budget and Finance
  
• School Safety and Environment
  
• Teacher to Student ratios
  
• Ending the reversion back to Pre-KERA (KY Education Reform Act)
  
• COVID-19 Learning Delay and Recovery
  
• Sustaining Arts and STEM

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

My doctoral thesis at https://www.proquest.com/openview/56b6fb5d35b2d5f94de667dbd04a06d6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=44156.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The most important characteristics of any elected official should be courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and an indomitable spirit. Without these inner principles to guide the leader, the leader can never lead the people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

School board members core responsibilities are board governance, creation of policy, establishment of procedures, budgeting tied to strategic objectives, and a spending plan that forecasts and takes measures to offset loss and improve gain. The latter two responsibilities are extremely important because federal pandemic dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund are in decline and legislators are pursuing measures at the ballot to use public funds for private schools.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

Our school board needs leadership that focuses on board governance, creation of policy, establishment of procedures, budgeting tied to strategic objectives, and a spending plan that forecasts and takes measures to offset loss and improve gain while federal pandemic dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund are in decline.

Who are your constituents?

My constituents are the voters in District 3 for the Fayette County School Board. My primary stakeholders are the 45,000+ plus students of varying demographics across the county and their families and communities. My secondary stakeholders are the teachers, staff, and administrators who serve the district.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

With our majority non-white student population, it is critical for our school board to address what equity in schools looks like. I support “Equitable Schools” in the district: institutions that are accessible, inclusive, quality, collaborative, accountable, autonomous, flexible, and resourceful, providing policies, practices, and imaginative investments for students whose cultures have been marginalized and oppressed. An equitable school provides a safe space with processes and intentionality for students, faculty, and staff to attain their highest goals by using resources equitably with strategies for each individual student. Equitable Fayette County Public Schools:

• Have clear missions committed to equitable access, processes, treatment, and outcomes for all students inclusive of race/ethnicity, gender, English Learners, disability status, gender identity/sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.
• Provide inclusive visual, aural, and written environments with representation and information about the global diversity of people and cultures.
• Collaborate with the various socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, language, gender, and disability groups within the district.

• Have student-centric engagement in partnership with parents and guardians, businesses, civic, and community organizations that provides knowledge, learns from the interaction, and builds infrastructure with no student left out.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I will work to engage constituents’ voices, such as those of the Pritchard Committee, the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, the Kentucky Student Voices Team, and others.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

As an academician with an education leadership research background, good teaching is what we are accomplishing in FCPS. However, great teaching focuses on world class education for all students and tailors curriculum to the needs and objectives of each student with innovation as the norm.

The Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES) needs to be assessed as to lessen teacher accountability for student test scores. Equally, board-level measurements must ensure that internal rate of return and cost-benefits analyses of Early Childhood and K-12 curriculum, programs, and services are the primary focuses.

These measurements can help the board of education understand what advanced teaching approaches do and do not work to provide the world-class education level sought. I will advocate for board policy that guides leadership development and growth, ensuring that we retain the best and brightest people for our district and its students. This includes leadership training and career development to ensure we have the experienced, effective leadership to handle all students' needs toward obtaining a world-class education.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I will advocate for the expansion of curriculum in relationship to the area of social emotional learning (SEL). This empowers the educator with the ability to impact all students more effectively, not just a one-size fits all curriculum focus. It also gives the students, their families, and the community the ability to make an effective impact on the students' educational objectives.

I will further advocate for innovations in SEL from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Framework with an emphasis on self-management (emotions and behaviors), self-awareness (emotions, values, strengths, and challenges), social awareness (understanding and empathy for others), relationship skills (positive relationships formation, teamwork, and conflict management), and responsible decision making (ethical, constructive choices for personal and social behavior).

The CASEL Framework is one of many innovations to cultivate skills and environments that will advance FCPS students’ learning and development. I will advocate for advanced technical training and apprenticeships are connected to needs in our non-profit, social services, higher education, and business sectors.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Budgeting from the board level must ensure that internal rate of return and cost-benefit analyses of Early Childhood and K-12 programs and services are the primary focuses. This can help the board of education understand what works and does not work on a world-class education level. For programs that work well, I commit to bringing research to the board on how the district can partner with the Fayette Education Foundation, as well as business and community partners, to help underwrite relevant parts of the budget.

Secondly, we must negotiate fair pricing with vendors and contractors. The spending plan must display prudence about how and with whom we spend our money. Procurement procedures should ensure FCPS receives the best deals from a weighted diverse pool of quality practitioners of the skills and crafts needed to advance our students to World-Class Education levels in every measure.

Thirdly, budget cuts in the area of salaries and compensation of FCPS faculty, staff, and administrators are not a sound practice. Salaries and compensation of all FCPS employees are where the district receives the greatest internal rate of return. Yet, teachers and staff are underpaid compared to the median for employees in top-performing districts in the country. Central Office Personnel salaries and compensation are below national averages. We must ensure that our teachers, staff, and administrators can live and thrive off of salary increases they rightfully deserve as public servants.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

As a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate, I will work with the board of education and the superintendent to better ensure the safety of students and staff by engaging our safe schools and safe crisis coordinators with continuous auditing of our procedures to ensure compliance and consideration of new methodologies that address school safety. Using the Safety Readiness Tool provided by SchoolSafety.gov, I will request findings from assessments in the following areas: designated staff, reporting systems, emergency operations plans, staff and faculty training, exercises and drills, school climate, threat assessment, site assessment, student training, and recovery plans. Using the data gathered, I would recommend policy changes or adaptations supported by the data. Of most importance is the inclusion of student, parents, guardians, and staff feedback. Ending the criminalization of Black and Brown students by eliminating the school-to-prison and deportation pipelines, eliminating exclusionary school discipline policies like SAFE, and supporting the full inclusion of students of color and disabilities in a positive and healthy Police-Free-School environment is necessary for all students and teachers to be safe. This includes “effective, non-punitive and culturally sustaining practices as alternatives to exclusionary school discipline.” Our students need more counselors and zero criminalization with a community safety approach that is not punitive or destructive to their lives and the lives of their families.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

As the district expands, we must support the expansion of our School Safety Office for the District. We are at a great disadvantage with only two full-time staff members for over 42,000 students. I will support policies to expand the office and its reach into every school with a focus on professionals, mental health, and others who are equipped to address the need.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

C-FAIR, KEPAC, AFL/CIO, and the Teamsters endorsed my campaign. The incumbent, Jason D. Moore, Esq., endorsed my campaign, also.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Our school safety needs to become more robust, in comparison to what is being done in other districts across the country. As the district expands, we must support the expansion of our School Safety Office for the District. With only two full-time staff members for over 45,000 students, we are at a great disadvantage. I will support policies to expand the office and its reach into every school with a focus on professionals, mental health and others, who are equipped to address the need.

Police presence in school leads to criminalization of students. Ending the criminalization of Black and Brown students by eliminating the school to prison and deportation pipelines, eliminating exclusionary school discipline policies like SAFE, and supporting the full inclusion of students of color and disabilities in a positive and healthy Police-Free-School environment are necessary for all students and teachers to be safe. This includes “effective, non-punitive and culturally sustaining practices as alternatives to exclusionary school discipline.” Our students need more counselors and zero criminalization with a community safety approach that is not punitive or destructive to their lives and the lives of their families.

I will work with the board of education and the superintendent to better ensure the safety of students and staff by engaging our safe schools and safe crisis coordinators with continuous auditing of our procedures to ensure compliance and consideration of new methodologies that address school safety. Using the Safety Readiness Tool provided by SchoolSafety.gov, I will request findings from assessments in the following areas: designated staff, reporting systems, emergency operations plans, staff and faculty training, exercises and drills, school climate, threat assessment, site assessment, student training, and recovery plans. Using the data gathered, I would recommend policy changes or adaptations that are supported by the data.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

As the nation’s schools deal with 20 years of math and reading progress being erased according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, FCPS must play catch up. Existing learning gaps were made wider due to the pandemic. As ESSER Funds decline, our district must consider fully supporting the Annie E. Casey Foundation recommendations to recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic learning loss:

• Ensure access to low- or no-cost meals, a reliable internet connection, a place to study and time with friends, teachers and counselors
• Expand access to intensive tutoring for students who are behind in their classes and missing academic milestones
• Forecast budgets that prioritize the social, emotional, academic, and physical well-being of students, no longer available in 2 years
• Address chronic absence by grade by improving attendance tracking and data and decriminalizing attendance challenges

• Provide wraparound support to students and families

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

In the first 90 days, I will work to establish ongoing communications with District 3 constituents and encourage the board to review existing communication strategies, adjusting, if necessary, to improve updates for students, parents, teachers and staff, SBDMs, business and community partners, and stakeholders.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

I will serve my term focused on improving faculty, staff and administration compensation, promoting policy that guides leadership development and growth, and ensuring an environment that recruits and retains the best and brightest people to serve our students. I would further advocate for the demographics of district employees to be representative of the student population.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Through an effective communications plan, financial transparency must tie into strategic objectives for the public to review, critique, and provide feedback.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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