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Yakima Douglas
Yakima Douglas was a candidate for Post 5 representative on the Rockdale County Board of Education in Georgia. Douglas lost in the general election on May 24, 2016.[1]
Biography
Douglas holds a B.S. in human service and a bachelor's degree in business management. She is the owner of a consulting firm that specializes in the nonprofit sector.[2]
Elections
2016
Five of the seven seats on the Rockdale County Board of Education were up for general election on May 24, 2016. There was no primary. A runoff election was held on July 26, 2016, for Post 4. Heather Duncan defeated Cassandra Barker-Carr in the runoff after neither candidate won a majority of the vote against Sherrie Raymore in the general election.[1]
Post 1 incumbent Mandy North and Post 3 incumbent Wales Flynt Barksdale ran for re-election without opposition. Pam Brown defeated Larry Cox and Willie Washington in Post 2. Post 5 incumbent Tony Dowdy defeated challengers Ben Sosby and Yakima Douglas.[1]
Results
| Rockdale County Public Schools, Post 5 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tony Dowdy Incumbent |
63.10% | 6,102 |
| Yakima Douglas | 25.10% | 2,427 |
| Ben Sosby | 11.81% | 1,142 |
| Total Votes | 9,671 | |
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election May 24, 2016," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
Campaign themes
2016
Douglas' campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| “ |
Closing the achievement gap is a priority for this candidate. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often perform below those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds on standardized tests and academic achievement . Commonly, these students show cognitive problems, including short attention spans, high levels of distraction, difficulty monitoring the quality of their work, and difficulty generating new solutions to problems . These issues can make school harder for children from impoverished backgrounds. Rockdale County Public School Systems' poverty rate is 74%. This number is based on students receiving free or reduced lunch. Many students who struggle cognitively either act out (exhibit problem behavior) or shut down (show learned helplessness). However, cognitive capacity, as well as intelligence, is a teachable skill. Yakima Douglas' goal is to increase awareness through various teaching methods. Additional training for educators is a must. Students who struggle with reading, math, and following directions may have weak vocabulary, poor working memory, or poor processing skills. Studies show that high-performing teachers can overcome the problems of under-performing students. Yakima Douglas' focus is to increase student achievement, ensuring that all students have the tools they need to be successful in the classroom, despite their current economic status. Eliminating any disparity in funding to schools in the district will ensure that all students receive equal access to a quality education. In addition to closing the student achievement gap, Yakima Douglas is committed to do the following:
|
” |
| —Yakima Douglas (2016), [4] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Yakima Douglas' 'Rockdale County Public 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 1.2 Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed April 18, 2016
- ↑ Vote for Yakima Douglas, "About," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote for Yakima Douglas, "Home," accessed May 18, 2016
| 2016 Rockdale County Public Schools Elections | |
| Rockdale County, Georgia | |
| Election date: | May 24, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Post 1: Incumbent, Mandy North Post 2: Larry Cox • Pam Brown • Willie Washington |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
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