John Almon
John Almon was a candidate for District 6 representative on the Maury County Board of Education in Tennessee. The general election was held on August 4, 2016.[1] He lost the election.[2]
Almon participated in Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey. To see his responses, check out the "Campaign themes" section below.
Elections
2016
- See also: Maury County Schools elections (2016)
Five of the 11 seats on the Maury County Schools Board of Education were up for by-district general election on August 4, 2016.[3] Bettye Kinser ran unopposed and won the District 2 seat that was left open when incumbent Jim Morrison did not file to run for re-election. Incumbents James Pennings and Howard Beaver also ran unopposed and won re-election to the District 4 and 8 seats, respectively. The District 6 race featured incumbent Jerry Lassiter and challengers Nathan Adkison and John Almon. Adkison won the seat. Donna Morency and Lea Thomason ran against each other to fill the District 10 seat, which was left open by incumbent Wayne Lindsey. Morency was elected to the seat.[1][4][2]
Results
| Maury County Schools, District 6 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Nathan Adkison |
60.33% | 403 |
| Jerry Lassiter Incumbent | 33.38% | 223 |
| John Almon | 6.29% | 42 |
| Total Votes | 668 | |
| Source: Maury County Election Commission, "Official Results: Primary and General Election August 4, 2016," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Funding
Almon reported no contributions or expenditures to the Maury County Election Commission in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Almon received no official endorsements in the election.
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
John U Almon participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on May 3, 2016:
| “ | Candidate did not answer this question.[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Tennessee. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| “ | Growth within the county must take care of expansion of the budget. Additions to the tax rate are opposed.[7] | ” |
| —John U Almon (May 3, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should always defer to school board decisions. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. The questions on standardized tests don't always reflect a student's life skills or lifestyle. For example, there are some people who are very "book-smart" but can't find 1.5 inches on a ruler. Standardized tests assure everyone knows the least, not the most. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Generally against, though as long as federal monies are accepted, so are the strings that come with the check. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Schools should work like most businesses. If you can't perform your job, then move over! Having an education degree doesn't mean lifetime employment if a person can't do the job to satisfactory standards. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Again, run schools like a business. If there are excellent employees, then reward them with a bigger paycheck. If all are paid a level rate, the education expectations will gravitate towards the lowest point. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. This can create a class of students who feel they receive preferential treatment. Keep the funding as it is until a better solution can be found that will be directly accountable on a local level. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion for any serious offense, such as firearms, alcohol, or violence against teachers/administration or repeated assaults on students. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| School administration A good education begins with good administration on the county office, but also mainly with the individual school administration. If expectations are plainly stated by the principal in each school, the students will strive to achieve. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'John Almon' 'Maury County Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maury County Election Commission, "August General/Primary Election: August 4, 2016," accessed April 8, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maury County Election Commission, "Summary Report: Primary and General Election August 4, 2016," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Calendar 2016," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Maury County Public Schools, "School Board," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Todd Baxter, Maury County Election Commission," July 29, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "John U Almon's responses," May 3, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Maury County Schools Elections | |
| Maury County, Tennessee | |
| Election date: | August 4, 2016 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Bettye Kinser District 4: • Incumbent, James Pennings District 6: • Incumbent, Jerry Lassiter • Nathan Adkison • John Almon District 8: • Incumbent, Howard Beaver District 10: • Donna Morency • Lea Thomason |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
