School board candidates talk issues on podcast
Two DeSoto County School District Board of Education seats are part of the general election ballot for Nov. 5. Both incumbents are on the ballot, Sheila Riley and Jerald Wheeler, but only Riley is facing opposition.
The District 4 incumbent, Riley is challenged by Todd Mayo, who is semi-retired but spent 17 years as a school administrator, 11 years as a teacher and a year as Youth Services Counselor with DeSoto County Youth Court, for a total of 29 years in education.
Riley has been involved in DeSoto County education for over a quarter-century as a Title 1 Instructional Assistant at the middle school level, and later at the district office level in personnel and professional development, before her first election as a school board member in 2012.
Wheeler, appointed to the school board in 2022 with the retirement of Ann Jolley, is facing no opposition for re-election in District 3.
All three sat down recently with host Matt Kelso for a special edition of The DeSoto County Brief podcast, a program that DeSoto County News is a partner.
Sheila Riley said her prior experience in education has aided her as a school board member, especially in budget deliberations.
“When I started on the board, they would ask me questions about how items were funded and what professional development was,” Riley said. “I could answer them because they came from a different background than I did. I thought it was unique that I was able to explain things to our board members.”
Riley talked about school safety as one of her pressing issues, but she also talked about making sure students are prepared to enter the workforce after graduation.
“We need to know there are different areas besides just going to college,” Riley said. “Every student that goes to school is not college-bound. They have to work after they get out of high school.”
She pointed out the district has two Career Tech schools, but added the district is getting ready to acquire more land for an additional Career Tech school.
Riley said the district wants its budget to be student-centered and the current board works with legislators to get the most money available without a millage increase at the school level.
“Over the past six years, we have increased the percentage of the budget allocated directly to instruction. We always need that.”
During his time on the podcast, Todd Mayo said the current board is strong, but feels his presence on the body would only make the board stronger.
How the district handles growth challenges and finding highly qualified teachers are among the top issues Mayo said he’d like to address.
“We need to get back to encouraging our youth to become teachers,” Mayo said. “Why are so few choosing to go into the field of education? These are issues we need to seriously address.”
Mayo also said chronic absenteeism is a major issue.
“According to the state Department of Education, 26.82 percent of DeSoto County Schools were chronically absent last year,” he noted. “The state average was 24.4 percent,” adding the district average two years ago was 28.5 percent, all post-COVID numbers.
“Students need to be in school and be on time,” Mayo said. Discipline, school safety and the distribution of illegal drugs in schools are other issues Mayo talked about.
“Vape detectors are available and placed in schools across the country,” Mayo said. “Why do we not have those vape detectors in our schools? The problem is real and is getting tougher to address with the use of vapes and edibles.”
In his interview, Jerald Wheeler said his work in education dates back to 1993, when, with the Southaven Police Department, he worked with then-Police Chief Tom Long to begin a School Resource Officer program in Southaven schools.
His concern for school safety is among his most pressing issues in DeSoto County Schools.
“If you feel safe in school, you can thrive and not worry about anything from outside coming to distract you,” Wheeler said. “You can concentrate on growing and maturing as a student.” About $4 million is now provided for school resources officers now, Wheeler said.
Wheeler also talked about his support for teachers and students, including his involvement in starting a foundation scholarship program with Northwest Mississippi Community College.
“In 1992, we raised money to do a memorial for officers and we raised so much money left over, we went to Northwest and started a foundation scholarship. Every year we give out nine scholarships to young men and women from DeSoto County to go to Northwest.”
The complete interviews can be heard on The DeSoto County Brief podcast. Specific links are listed here:
