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Jolene Byrne
Jolene Byrne was a representative on the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education in Georgia from 2014 to 2018. She advanced from the May 20, 2014 general election to a runoff election on July 22, 2014 against David Simons. Simons announced his withdrawal from the race on May 22, 2014. Byrne defeated third-place finisher Chester A. Ellis in the runoff election to win the board presidency.[1]
Biography
Byrne earned a B.A. in English from Armstrong Atlantic State University. She also obtained an M.A. in sociology from Georgia Southern University. Byrne taught at Coastal Comprehensive Academy and Groves High School before the birth of her son. As of 2014, she taught sociology at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Byrne's son attended a school in the district.[2]
Elections
2014
Jolene Byrne ran against Sadie C. Brown, Chester A. Ellis, George Seaborough and David Simons in the general election on May 20, 2014. Board president Joe Buck could not run for another term because of the seat's two-term limit. Byrne defeated Ellis in the July 22, 2014 runoff election.
Results
Runoff election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Jolene Byrne |
73.1% | 17,617 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chester A. Ellis | 26.9% | 6,496 | |
| Total Votes | 24,113 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "UNOFFICIAL COUNTY RESULTS," July 22, 2014 | ||||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jolene Byrne |
40.1% | 11,003 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Simons |
21.5% | 5,900 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chester A. Ellis | 17.2% | 4,736 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sadie C. Brown | 10.7% | 2,941 | |
| Nonpartisan | George Seaborough | 10.5% | 2,889 | |
| Total Votes | 27,469 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "OFFICIAL COUNTY RESULTS," May 20, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Byrne reported $6,165.00 in contributions and $3,717.84 in expenditures to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, leaving her campaign with $2,447.16 on hand as of May 16, 2014.[3]
Endorsements
Byrne received the endorsement of former candidate George Seaborough ahead of the runoff election.[4]
Campaign themes
2014
Byrne explained her themes for the 2014 campaign on her campaign website:
| “ |
I believe in the power of public education to lift up children, families and entire communities. It is vital that our school board stay focused on what matters most—ensuring that every child has an opportunity to live up to his or her full potential. Everything we do, every decision made, every program created, every contract awarded and every line item in the budget should reflect this goal. Replicating our models of success We already have excellent schools right here in our community. Charles Ellis Montessori, Garrison K8, Oglethorpe Charter School and Savannah Arts Academy are among the examples of what we are doing right. Some of these schools have rigorous admission criteria, while others are open to all who apply. In every one of these schools, far more students apply than can be admitted. There are hundreds of children on waiting lists. These schools are our models of success and we should be replicating these models so that more children have an opportunity to attend schools that work. No child should be denied the opportunity to reach his or her full potential because they didn't win a lottery. Expanding the school day Expanding the school day for low-income schools has been proven to effectively close the achievement gap for students. Extra time in the classroom will give struggling students more time to catch up, while also allowing schools to bring music, art, and physical education back into the school day. We know that without extra time in the classroom, many children are not going to meet performance standards. We must find a way to give them this time. Improving graduation rates While the graduation rate at Savannah Arts Academy is 100%, the graduation rates at most of Savannah's high schools are barely half that. The low graduation rate is about more than failing our students, it is about failing our community. High school dropouts are 72% more likely to be unemployed, are more likely to be on public assistance, and 80% of prisoners are high school dropouts. We need to give our high school students more time in the day to learn, and we need to engage community partners in programs similar to OneGoal to help them succeed. Most important, we must ensure that children entering the ninth grade are prepared for high school work. When students enter high school two or three grade levels behind, they know it is unlikely they will ever catch up. When children are hopeless, they become disruptive in the classroom and prevent other students from learning. Involving community partners Families and schools play a primary role in helping children succeed. Community partners are important as well. Whether it's deepening relationships our schools already have with organizations like 21st Century and the Deep Center, or creating new partnerships based on the models of OneGoal and the Mindful Life Project, we need to involve community partners in our mission to ensure every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. Responsible spending We face the daunting task of meeting the needs of an ever-growing population of students with an ever-shrinking budget. As we are forced to do more with less, it is vital that we identify areas where we can reduce costs. The current transportation system for students is inefficient and wastes millions of dollars a year. Moving specialty programs to where the majority of students in them live, creating hubs for specialty school transportation, and using shuttles instead of busses when only a few students are being transported are common sense solutions. When it comes to building, constant work order changes have wasted millions, as have excessive renovations to school buildings that are slated to be abandoned. The school board must create a long-range building plan for growth instead of wasting money on short-term solutions. Finally, we need to use data-driven program evaluations to determine if money spent on programs actually leads to student academic improvement. |
” |
| —Jolene Byrne's campaign website, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Jolene + Byrne + Savannah + Chatham + County + Schools + Georgia"
See also
- Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Georgia
- Savannah-Chatham County Public School System elections (2014)
- Flurry of school board elections heading to ballots in Georgia, New York
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Savannah Morning News, "Simons is out, Ellis is in for Savannah-Chatham school board race," May 24, 2014
- ↑ Jolene Byrne for School Board President, "About Jolene," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Savannah Morning News, "Construction contractors, politicos fund Savannah-Chatham school board candidate David Simons," May 11, 2014
- ↑ WSAV, "Seaborough Endorses Byrne for Chatham Co. School Board President," June 12, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jolene Byrne for School Board President, "Issues," accessed May 16, 2014
| 2014 Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Elections | |
| Chatham County, Georgia | |
| Election date: | May 20, 2014 |
| Candidates: | President: • Sadie C. Brown • Jolene Byrne • Chester A. Ellis • George Seaborough • David Simons District 4: • Shawn A. Kachmar |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
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