Riakos Adams
From Ballotpedia
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Riakos Adams ran for election to the Killeen Independent School District to represent Place 6 in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 1, 2021.
Biography
Riakos Adams was born in Washington, D.C. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of the District of Columbia in 2000 and a master's degree from Webster University in 2004. As of the 2020 election, Adams was pursuing a Ph.D. from Liberty University. His professional experience includes serving over 20 years in the U.S. Army in combat, training, armistice, and diplomatic assignments. Adams has been affiliated with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, Rotary International, National Sojourners, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled America Veterans, Moose International, Prince Hall Masons, LULAC, the NAACP, Toastmasters International, the Texas Alliance of Black Student Educators, the Centex-Alliance of Black Student Educators, and the Military Police Regimental Association.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: Killeen Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
General election
General election for Killeen Independent School District, Place 6
Cullen Mills defeated Riakos Adams in the general election for Killeen Independent School District, Place 6 on May 1, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cullen Mills (Nonpartisan) | 55.7 | 2,034 | |
| Riakos Adams (Nonpartisan) | 44.3 | 1,619 | ||
| Total votes: 3,653 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Michael Jones (Nonpartisan)
2020
See also: Killeen Independent School District, Texas, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Killeen Independent School District, Place 4
Incumbent Marvin Rainwater defeated David Michael Jones, David Mell, Riakos Adams, and Stanley Golaboff in the general election for Killeen Independent School District, Place 4 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Marvin Rainwater (Nonpartisan) | 38.8 | 19,120 |
| David Michael Jones (Nonpartisan) | 27.3 | 13,432 | ||
| David Mell (Nonpartisan) | 16.0 | 7,888 | ||
| Riakos Adams (Nonpartisan) | 10.8 | 5,300 | ||
| Stanley Golaboff (Nonpartisan) | 7.2 | 3,537 | ||
| Total votes: 49,277 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Riakos Adams did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Riakos Adams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Adams' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Riakos Adams is a retired military veteran with 22 years of service in the U.S. Army. He is a parent and an active volunteer in the community. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Killeen ISD School Health Advisory Council, the Chair of the Killeen Community Development Committee, and President of Killeen Volunteers, Inc. He is an active member of Greater Vision Community Church serving on the Trustee/Finance Committee and leading the Safety and Security Team.
- Riakos believes that everything KISD does should focus on promoting student success by empowering the Parents and Students and being accountable to the same.
- Riakos has the energy, the motivation, foresight, and the desire to serve all the parents, teachers, and students of the District.
- Riakos will promote polices that recruit and retain the best teachers, and giving them the resources and support needed to do their jobs.
Riakos intends to to focus on promoting policies that improve the performance of our Students, Teachers, and Staff; that provide a safe and secure environment in which to learn and work; and that maintains fiscal responsibility ensuring that we are good shepherds of our resources. We have the ability, the human capital, and the resources to do great things and make KISD the best school district in Texas and its graduates viable citizens wherever they reside.
I have always looked up to my Uncle and my older cousins. I try to follow my Uncle's example of being a good man. Beyond that, I observe how others approach situations which I could potentially be involved in. I try to learn a better way to do things, learn things that should not be tried, and evaluate whether it is something I could be interested in.
There is not one I can think of. I think I have developed a hybrid political philosophy based on observations, studies, and experiences.
Elected officials should be caring, compassionate, engaging, attentive, innovative and have candor, initiative, and commitment.
I am open-minded, endearing, engaging, compassionate, and caring. I believe in fairness and trying to find a good compromise. I believe in the team concept but not group think. I have demonstrated innovativeness in my career and as a volunteer. I possess the candor to speak up and represent those I represent.
Elected officials are the representatives of those who put them in office and the community within their respective region or district. They must serve and address the needs of the electorate and community otherwise they lack a mandate or charge. It is the duty of School Board Trustees to be responsive and receptive to parents, staff, students and the community at large.
The first historical event that I can remember witnessing was the peaceful transition of presidential power from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. I have vague memories of Jimmy Carter's inauguration but I think it was the first time I watched the inauguration and actually paid attention. I was 7.
My first job was as a teacher's assistant in the Physical Science Academy at the University of the District of Columbia. It was part of Mayor Marion Barry's Summer Youth Employment Program. The following summer I worked as a lifeguard for the DC Department of Recreation. I did that every summer until a graduated from college.
Johnathan Livingston Seagull. I had to read it when I got in trouble. I scrolled through it and then try to wing talking about it when my mother asked me questions about it. When I finally read it, I realized Johnathan was me.
A combination of Superman, Batman, and Black Panther.
Deliver Me (This is my Exodus)
The primary job of a school board member is to be an active and intricate of a team, build school district leadership, provide fiscal oversight, manage policies, advocate for public education, and engage with parent, teachers, students, and community partners.
The constituents of the Killeen Independent School District consists of a ethnically and economically diverse population, that includes active duty military, veterans, federal and state employees, individuals relocated because of natural disasters, and transients.
The best way to support the diverse needs of the District's students, faculty, staff, and community, is to engage them and discover and understand those needs. Garner feedback on decisions and asks the pertinent questions to ensure issues are addressed.
I am already active in the community. I intend to leverage the relationships I already have to build new ones, hopefully connecting parts of the community that had limited interactions previously. I intend to be a regular attendee of PTA meetings, sporting events, awards ceremonies, etc. I will continue participation in the boards and committees that I have been appointed on within the city where I live, provided there is not a conflict of interest. I will specifically target those groups, organizations, and stakeholders that have been at odds with the district, that have been ignored, and any that promote student success.
The key to building better relations with parents is to engage, communicate, and care. Whether you agree or disagree with what they are saying, you should genuinely show that you care and address their issue. I want to promote parent, teacher associations at the elementary school and parent, teacher, student associations in the secondary schools, in what ever name . I intend to promote parent participation on the various District advisory councils. I want to conduct regular townhall meetings through the district that will allow parents to ask questions directly to those in the administration.
Yes I do. A diverse district faculty, staff, and administration will show students a broader view of the world and improve their understanding of cultures just be observing the faculty and staff. I will push for a review of the current recruiting procedures for recruiting faculty, staff, and administration; advocate for recruiting from within, including students; promote recruiting from areas similar to my district. Most of all, I would push for "sensing sessions" by the District (students, parents, teachers, staff, administration, and the community at large).
Performance gaps, class sizes, lack of accountability, poor financial decisions, unsafe environments and not ensuring every decision answers the question, "How does this ensure that students learn to their maximum potential, and make them ready to enter higher education or the workplace?" Every proposal, whether it is the purchase of land, hiring a new administrator, recruiting procedures, or the purchase of a bus should answer this question. I will advocate for a smaller teacher to student ration, no higher than 1 to 20. I would push for budgeting to focus on classroom resources. I will ask that questions that ensure complaints are answered and properly handled, I would push to make sure everyone owns their share of the District's success. If the district is not performing like it is supposed to be, then I would demand frank discussions on employment statuses ,starting first with the administration. I would also push for the district to be more involved in economic and transportation planning in the region where it exists.
Good teaching includes getting students to understand the subject, challenging them with new concepts, nurturing when their is a failure or lack of comprehension, engaging parents and other teachers to find ways to help students, and being innovative. First the Boards job would be to measure how the administration promotes good teaching. To do this, I would promote a policy to the spells out different levels of performance measured by student success on tests, grades, and ability to transition to the next grade. Districts should reward teachers who are innovative in their approaches, and who assist other teachers make students better. I would promote an incentive system that rewards teachers who are the top performers and who develop, promote, and train others in new approaches.
I would promote having life skills exams or tests, and/or home economics, and include some level of science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum as part of the core curriculum. It seems districts have moved away from or tucked life skills and home economics into other classes like English and Social Studies, these subjects should be separate. Our society is becoming more and more technical and in order to compete with other countries we may have to move towards a more technical based curriculum, but without ignoring other skillsets.
A 21st century diploma should reflect, at minimum, a basic mastery of science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, history/social studies (including study of a culture other than the student's own), foreign language, life skills or home economics, and an understanding of basic civic duty through community service.
I would promote more STEM or STEAM curriculum be made available to students not designated as STEM/STEAM students. Using community partnership, I would include apprenticeships in trades or professional skills. To better a students understanding of the world I would promote humanities courses that included ancient histories from the different continents, and require a class in another American sub-culture's history.
I would push for the budgets to better reflect what we are actually spending per classroom to show what resources are actually applied to the classroom. I would promote better pay classification to reflect time, experience, and success. Limit the amount of money spent in the central administration. Maximize use of district vehicles vice including travel allowances in compensation. I would promote budget development based on the goals and objectives of the district over a 5 to 10 year period. I like the idea of completing base budgets 2 to 3 years out based on calculated trends. I would also promote lobbying our state representatives for more money; and make a big emphasis on completing IMPACT AID forms.
If students do not feel safe at school they will not want to be there nor will be able to give the proper attention to their instruction. If parents do not feel their students are safe and secure at schools, they will not support the process and can become distractors. If teachers and staff do not feel safe and secure in their work environment, their delivery will be hampered and we could lose good people, the students would not learn, and parents would lose confidence. A safe and secure environment doesn't mean building fortresses or high security fences. We have to have safety and security plans and procedures that support the learning environment.
Mental Health of Students/Faculty/Staff is a focus programs of School Health Advisory Councils. I would support programs the SHAC develops and recommends, and as a board member, I would require regular updates on the general mental health of the district (protecting personal information). This update would include any complaints filed related to mental health and how they were handled, and ways to promote, improve, and support for the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff
As we progress, technology will play an increasing role. All new construction should better reflect increased technology and have the ability to upgrade and improve. Grants or other types of funding should be obtained so that every student has a laptop or tablet once they reach the grade requiring such. Faculty and Staff who lack technology skills should be given the opportunity to gain or improve them through professional development.
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See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 24, 2020
