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Patrick D. Hampton
Patrick D. Hampton was a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee up for general election on August 7, 2014. He lost the election to Karitsa Mosley.
Biography
Patrick D. Hampton is a resident of Hamilton County, Tennessee. Hampton graduated from Tyner Academy and Covington Theological Seminary. He is employed as a director with Goodwill Youth Advantage and serves as a youth pastor at Hawkinsville Missionary Baptist Church.[1]
Elections
2014
The general election in Hamilton County featured five seats up for election on August 7, 2014. Greg Martin won re-election in District 3 against Jim Watson. Karitsa Mosley won the open District 5 race against fellow newcomers Richard K. Bennett, Samuel Blakemore, Patrick D. Hampton, Cynthia Stanley-Cash, Jacqueline A. Thomas and Yashika Ward. Incumbent Joe Galloway won re-election, defeating newcomers Oscar Brock and C. Ballard Scearce, Jr. in District 6. The District 8 race was won by incumbent David Testerman, who defeated challenger Samevelyn Morgan Rock. Newcomer Steve Highlander won the open District 9 seat, defeating Karen Farrow, Larry Lewis, Dean Moorhouse and Tim White.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Karitsa Mosley |
33.7% | 1,624 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patrick D. Hampton | 26% | 1,256 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jackie Anderson-Thomas | 12.9% | 622 | |
| Nonpartisan | Samuel E. Blakemore | 8.9% | 430 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard K. Bennett | 8.5% | 410 | |
| Nonpartisan | Cynthia Stanley-Cash | 6% | 287 | |
| Nonpartisan | Yashika Ward | 3.6% | 176 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 18 | |
| Total Votes | 4,823 | |||
| Source: Hamilton County, TN - Election Commission, "Official Results - August 7th, 2014 - State Primary & County General," accessed February 23, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Hampton reported $3,955.12 in contributions and $2,381.93 in expenditures to the Hamilton County Election Commission during the election, which left his campaign with $1,573.19 on hand.[2]
Endorsements
Hampton received an endorsement from the Chattanooga Free Press.[3]
Campaign themes
2014
Hampton published his answers to a series of questions about education on his campaign website:
| “ | 1. Please provide us with a brief summary of your background. Education, length of time in the community, etc.
My wife Sherinda and I were born, raised and educated in the Eastdale and Brainerd community and today my wife and three boys and I still reside in District 5. My father, Dr. Bobby L. Hampton was Vice President of East 3rd St Suntrust Bank and my mother Patricia Hampton was employed by the Hamilton County Child Support Division. I graduated from Tyner High School in 1998 and went to work for McKee Foods Corp, also known as Little Debbie. This job along with many mentors taught me great work ethic skills. As I matured I took an interest in theology and youth development so I went on to study at Covington Theological Seminary to become a Youth Pastor. Today, I have been youth pastoring for 12 years and I have been working with urban and suburban youth in the nonprofit sector for 10 years. I’m currently Director of Goodwill Youth Advantage Mentoring that serves Brainerd High, Dalewood Middle, Howard, Tyner Academy, East Lake Middle, Hixson High and Goal Academy in Bradley County. I also am a national speaker with the National Center for Youth Issues. 2. Why are you a candidate for the school board? Why do you think your local (Education/Teachers Association) should consider you for an endorsement? I have been working with and alongside of Hamilton County teachers and students for 10 years. I’ve had the opportunity to see both sides of the spectrum. I’ve seen students that I have instructed and mentored go off to college and return home with master degrees and I have also seen students that slipped through cracks of our educational institutions and have succumb to a life of crime and violence. I believe this achievement gap is fuelling the poverty we are seeing in our city and ultimately our nation. As your school board member, I want to make sure our school district is giving our students the best chance to become productive citizens of Chattanooga. I believe the Teachers Association should consider endorsing me because we both have the same goals for the students of Hamilton County. We both understand that decisions made by the school board can have a positive impact on students but negative unintended results can impact the teachers, their classroom and their ability to educate. If elected as a school board member of District 5, my decisions will be carefully considered with the best interest of the students, teachers and community in mind. 3. What do you believe to be the most pressing problems facing this district? What is your plan to address these problems? School Safety, School Climate and the Student Achievement Gap in the District 5 are the greatest problems we face. All of these problems are intertwined. In light of the recent events in Newtown, I believe the district needs to make sure we remain vigilant as it relates to external and internal threats. Internal threats such as bullying, gang affiliations and gang associations creates a negative school climate that can hinder student achievement. This must be addressed in a cohesive manner. I plan to make sure the schools in District 5 have all of the resources it needs to remain prepared to address any threat to students in our District. This preparedness and consistency in discipline policies will help create a positive school climate where all District 5 students can achieve. 4. School districts in Chattanooga provide public education to a diverse student population. Do you believe this district has made adequate provision for the education of our language minority students and our students with special needs? Please explain. As a minority and an employee of Goodwill, I recognize the need to adequately address the needs of those that are special needs, disadvantaged, disabled. We have a moral responsibility as a school district to make sure there are no barriers to public education in Hamilton County. Diversity in culture and difference in thought is what makes this nation great. However, what makes us greater is when we realize that wherever there are differences in thought and diversity in cultures, there will always remain a place of sacrifice for both parties. This is the direction in which I hope to see this community grow in the future. 5. Much has been said about the importance of making decisions at the school site which include input from both parents and teachers. Do you support more site based decision making rather than central office controlled decisions? If so, what will you do to make this a reality? I believe in limited government. The less involved government is the better. Don’t get me wrong, government has its place to legislate and regulate but the more a community is involved in the education of a child the better that education will be. If elected as District 5 School Board Member, I will ensure that the administrators of District 5 have all the resources it needs to be successful. I will support and work alongside of administrators and community members to implement the best plan for our students in District 5. 6. One of the top priorities of parents and teachers is to assure the protection of children's health and safety. What is your position on school safety, and what, if any additional actions do you believe this district should take to assure student safety? I believe that at some point, every school needs to have an armed resource officer present. If we can place officers at our banks, grocery stores and malls, surely we can protect our most valuable assets, our children. 7. Do you support the school breakfast and lunch programs? Would you support efforts to expand the program if possible? A great majority of District 5 students are on free and reduced lunch. I do support school breakfast and lunch programs but I also recognize that there is much fraud that takes place in this program. I believe our income verification process needs to be revamped so the program is effective and efficient for students who desperately need it. Until the program is fixed, and fraud is minimized, I would not suggest expansion of the program. 8. Preparing students for college and / or giving them the tools to compete in America's job market is our top priority. What would you do in this district to increase and improve student access to computers and other classroom technology? The school district has an obligation to make sure students are well educated and able to enter the workforce comfortably. Technology plays a huge role in our global economy and if we want students in our community to be able to compete globally we must ensure that students have access to technology. However, I also believe there is still a need for classical and traditional education. I believe it is possible to have duplicity when it comes to this matter. 9. Would you support an increase in vocational education? Please explain. Yes, I’m a firm believer in vocational schools. Having seen the success of Sequoyah High School with my own eyes and glow in the eyes of students as they use their hands to build and carry on family vocational traditions, lets me know that vocational programs like Sequoyah should be duplicated if the budget allows. 10. What is your position on vouchers or the creation of charter schools? From the research I have done, studies show that school choice actually lowers the cost of schooling and raises the quality of schooling. If vouchers increase students’ achievement in District 5, I am for it. If our current public school system increases student achievement, I’m for it. I believe a school system can be multi-faceted and still be successful. 11. What would you do as a board member to strengthen parental involvement in our schools? I would personally become more involved with activities going on within and without the school. I think being accessible, visible and actively engaged will help parents know that the school district wants to see their child(ren) successful. I would also encourage the school district and parent coordinators to take advantage of social media to communicate with parents and promote ways parents can become more involved. 12. Do you believe in, and support the right of public school employees to be organized and to bargain collectively? Yes, I believe in teachers having a right to collectively bargain. However, I do not believe the right to collectively bargain should stand in the way of students getting an education. I believe the voice of teachers should be heard and viable issues should be addressed through collective bargaining but not at the expense of the students in our school district. 13. How will you, as a board member, assure participation of site employees in the development of programs to assist schools of greatest need? As a school board member, it will be my responsibility to hold the Superintendent accountable on the goals he/she set for the district as a whole. I believe in allowing administrators to do what the district hired them to do. Each administrator knows the dynamics and needs oftheir school. I do believe planning sessions should be holistic by including ideas and perspectives from a diverse group of employees. 14. How will you assure that the district will actively seek grants to enhance the educational program at the school site? One of the reasons I am running for District 5 school board is because I see the potential in the students and faculty in District 5. I am a big fan of the iZone Initiative and believe the iZone grant has the potential to impact the culture of District 5. I will thoroughly evaluate all grant opportunities to make sure that our goal of having a positive impact on student achievement doesn't create negative consequences for the Hamilton County school district. 15. To upgrade, improve, and build new facilities and/or programs, would you be willing to support placing a school bond OR parcel tax measure before the voters in the near future? I believe in fiscal responsibility and do not support imposing new taxes on Hamilton County residents in the near future. I believe Hamilton County has a great long-term plan to upgrade and build new facilities. When emergency situation arise I would look to consolidate before I consider taxing the citizens of Hamilton County. 16. What will you, as a board member, do to assure that teachers have the support and materials needed to successfully assist students in meeting state standards? As a board member, I believe our current Superintendent has the best interest of the district’s teachers at heart and I would be sure to hold the Superintendent and Administrators in my district accountable to the goals set by our Superintendent. 17. How will you encourage the district administration to provide the support and resources necessary for teachers to successfully meet requirements for standards based evaluation? Again, it would be my duty to hold the Superintendent accountable for all issues that arise from the administration level. 18. Would you support giving due process rights to probationary teachers? As an American citizen, I believe all teachers should be treated fairly and given due process according to the policy and procedures of the district. 19. Do you believe employees are adequately compensated in this district? According to my research, Tennessee has a great track record of compensating employees according to the national standards. 20. Do you support maintaining affordable health benefits for all employees? Yes, I believe all Hamilton County employees deserve affordable healthcare according to the standards of Tennessee state law. 21. What do you believe to be a sound student discipline policy for this district? A sound student discipline policy is a consistent student discipline policy. I understand that some discipline concerns should be handled on a case by case basis but I still believe discipline should not only punish but seek to correct behavior. I believe that all students can thrive where there are concise rules, consistent structure and clear limits. 22. There are some groups who believe that they should control what academic materials are used in the classroom. What is your position on special interest groups influencing curriculum and materials used for student instruction? I believe that the district’s curriculum should be driven by empirical data and vetted by the school board to make sure the curricula fits the culture of our school system. Special interest groups shouldn't dictate what academic materials are used in a classroom. The needs of every community and student are different. Our children are unique and curricula should teach our children how to think not what to think. 23. Do you believe creationism should be taught in our science classes? It is my opinion that if the community demands it, then the school board should listen to the community if the demand is feasible. Historically, Creationism has been taught in our public schools. Our ancestors believed in creationism and we shouldn’t just skip over it because a few people don’t believe in it. I would like to see Intelligent Design taught in our science classes. I believe it will inspire students to debate and articulate their thought. This is when true education takes place. 24. What do you see as the school board members' role and responsibility in the effective administration of the schools? I believe school administration should be handled by the school superintendent. The school board should communicate closely with the superintendent to make sure administrators have all the resources needed to be effective. The school boards role should be one of accountability not that of administration. 25. Would you like to make a closing statement? Yes. Due to the fact that I was born, raised and educated in District 5, I believe I am the best candidate to represent District 5 on the school board. I attended Woodmore Elementary, Tyner Middle and Tyner High. Because of the education I received in these schools by wonderful teachers, I am able to navigate and function effectively as an informed citizen. I believe this is the outcome that we would like to see from all of our students in District 5. I currently mentor young men that are struggling through their educational experience and by serving on the school board I would better be able to impact and influence student achievement in District 5.[4] |
” |
| —Patrick D. Hampton campaign website (2014)[5] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Patrick + Hampton + Hamilton + County + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Patrick D. Hampton, "Patrick Hampton Biography," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ Hamilton County, TN - Election Commission, "Candidate Guide," accessed June 25, 2014
- ↑ Chattanooga Times Free Press, "Free Press picks for District 3, District 5 and District 6," July 18, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Patrick D. Hampton, "Questions for Mr. Hampton," accessed August 7, 2014
