Voters will pick who will serve as the two elected representatives on the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School Board on Tuesday, November 6.
Four candidates are vying for the seats, two for the district one seat in the northern part of Montgomery County and two for the district two seat in southern Montgomery County. All candidates for these seats live outside the corporate city limits of Winona, and only voters living outside the city limits can cast ballots in the school board election.
The other three members of the school board are appointed by the Winona Board of Aldermen.
In district one, Brandye Waugh Brannon and Kolandtly McCarroll Williams, both of Duck Hill, are vying for the seat.
Brannon, 40, is employed with the United States Postal Service, currently serving as the clerk at the Kilmichael Post Office.
Brannon is a 1996 graduate of Grenada High School, attended Holmes Community College (1996-1998) and Delta State University (1998-1999. She is an active member of Duck Hill Baptist Church, an active member of the Winona Secondary School Booster Club, and the president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Winona Elementary School.
“I am a lifelong resident of Duck Hill and have also worked in Kilmichael and Winona, so I know the needs and concerns of the community,” Brannon said. “I also studied elementary education while at Holmes Community College and Delta State. I am president of the [Winona Elementary School] PTO and an active member of the [Winona Secondary School] Booster Club.”
Brannon is the daughter of Gary and Jessica Waugh of Duck Hill. She is married to Anthony Brannon, and the couple has three children, Jacob, Mary Beth, and Hannah, all of whom attend Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District.
Brannon said she sought an elected office before, but she said she is seeking a seat on the school board because she loves the community and wants what is best for everyone living in it.
“I would like to be an advocate voice for the parents and students of Winona-Montgomery School District,” Brannon said. “I believe the school as a whole is doing a great job, but there are always room for improvements which will have to be taken one step at a time.”
According to a statement on social media, Williams has worked with the school district for five years as a substitute teacher, a cheerleading coach, and currently serves on the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District’s Advisory Board, as a representative for Montgomery County Schools.
Williams stated in the post, “During my time of being in the school system, I have built relationships with students inside and out of school. My goal is to provide a homely [sic] feeling and be a mentor and guide for the younger generation. I believe in fair representation is required in the schools. I hope that you will allow me to be a greater service to your children and give a fair representation in schools.”
In District two, Loretta Hopkins and Jill Greenlee White are both seeking the seat.
Loretta Hopkins, 47, is a native of Winona. She is a graduate of Kilmichael High School and Mississippi State University.
Hopkins is the mother of two daughters, Adrianne Hopkins Pamplin, a junior at Winona Secondary School, and Jasmine Hopkins, a seventh grader at Winona Secondary School.
Hopkins has never run for elected office but said she is seeking the seat “to provide fair and equal representation for the community which elects me and to see out strategies which will progress the success of the schools entire diverse student body.”
“The school consolidation has come at a price of inequality. I plan to make more informed decisions (using feedback, research, resolution options and fairness) – which offers equality to the community, the students, and the teachers.”
Hopkins said her qualifications include her ability to listen, research the issues, “seek out options of resolution, and have the courage to stand up for right.”
Also seeking the district two seat is Jill Greenlee White.
White, 49, is a retired educator who taught for 24 years for the Montgomery County School District. Following her retirement, White continued serving the students of Montgomery County as a tutor at Montgomery County Elementary School.
White is a lifelong member of Montgomery County. A member of Kilmichael Baptist Church, White has a degree in Elementary Education from Mississippi State University and is a certified reading and gifted teacher.
The daughter of Harvey and Sara Greenlee, White is married to Pat White, and the couple has two sons, Connor and John-Colin.
White has never served in an elected capacity, and she said she is seeking a position on the Winona-Montgomery County School Board because she has “a personal and professional interest in the children of Montgomery County. I want to see students achieve their goals and help Montgomery County prosper.
White said if elected she would like to address the length of the district’s bus routes through the county.
“Several parents have discussed the issue of their child/children having to get on the bus so early and getting home so late. I can understand how this would affect a student’s educational focus.”
Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6. For questions about which district you call into, contact the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk’s office at 283-4161.
