Several of the candidates running for Christian County School Board made an appearance at the Hopkinsville League of Women Voters debate forums Monday night.
District 1 is currently represented by Erin Westerfield, who was appointed to that position earlier this year following the resignation of board member Jeff Moore. She will face off against challenger David K. Webster in November, but on Monday night, she fielded questions from the League concerning a variety of topics.
Webster was not present for the forums Monday. On the topic of testing scores and data, Westerfield says they need to focus on what was good in the data and replicate it across the school system, and buckle down on the areas that fell short. She says she’d like to see state testing that happens more often and casually throughout the school year, instead of all at once at the end of it.
That’s a decision that would ultimately need to be made by the Kentucky Department of Education and the state legislature.
Westerfield also says she would love to see parents more involved in the public school system, saying it takes a village to help children learn and be successful.
In the District 2 race for Christian County School Board, it’s current member Ambrea Watkins versus challenger Margo Pickens. Watkins was not present Monday, so Pickens was allotted time to answer the questions they would have been asked in debate.
Pickens says a top priority for her, if elected, would be school safety, and she’s been glad to see that each school campus has its own School Resource Officer.
She says outside of teaching, she thinks the school system should also focus on helping children feel safe and comfortable, giving them their best chance to be successful.
You can watch their comments in full on the League of Women Voters—Hopkinsville, KY Facebook page. There are more debate forums set to take place later in the month of the candidates running for Hopkinsville City Council and State Representative in District 9, so stay tuned.
