Harrison County school board race pits status quo against demands for change
If it weren’t for the pandemic, Aldon Helmert wouldn’t be running for school board this year.
In mid-May, he attended a meeting of the Harrison County School Board to share his frustrations with a grading policy the district had implemented after the coronavirus disrupted the spring semester. Since then, the father of three has missed just one board meeting.
At a meeting on July 20 where parents protested the board’s plan to reopen schools without a virtual option, he drew cheers and applause with a speech quoting Ezekiel 33:6 (“If he does not cry out when he sees danger, the blood is on his hands”) and chastising the board for their lack of preparation and accountability.
Now, he’s running for the District 5 school board seat vacated by outgoing member Bill Bradley.
“I am the parent who has been going to that board, questioning these things, and questioning why we can’t push and why we can’t improve things, as opposed to leaving things the same,” he said in an interview.
Helmert has the support of other parents who attended board meetings to advocate for a virtual option as the district prepared its plans to reopen schools this fall.
Supporters of Eric Simmons, Helmert’s opponent for the seat, include Bradley, board president Rena Wiggins, and Superintendent Roy Gill.
“I’m taking a position in an A-rated school district,” he told the Sun Herald. “To say the whole school district needs an overhaul, I’d be wrong.”
School board races are typically sleepy affairs. Both candidates told the Sun Herald that many voters they canvass had no idea the race was happening, or even that they live in District 5. In 2018 and 2016, all incumbents ran unopposed. Bradley won a narrow victory against challenger Holly Gibbs in 2014, the last time a seat was contested.
But this race has heated up in part because Helmert’s supporters represent a new constituency in the district: parents who became deeply engaged in school politics for the first time as a result of the pandemic and who, because of their frustrations with the district since March, are eager to see major changes on the board.
Congregating on Facebook
Earlier this month, Kristin Stachura Allen and Tori Bishop, administrators of the Facebook group Harrison County Parents for a Safer Return to School, decided to host a virtual forum for the two candidates to talk to parents.
Allen and Bishop said that while they both supported Helmert, they wanted to create an opportunity for everyone to learn about each candidate. They thought their group would be a good platform for the candidates to reach potential constituents.
Their group now has over 1,000 members. Parents use it to exchange information about coronavirus outbreaks at schools, how to navigate the virtual learning platforms, and who in the district to contact for help.
Helmert has been an active member of the group since its creation. His decision to run for school board came after Bishop, having learned that the seat would be on the ballot this November, reached out to him in late July. She had been impressed by his speech at the July 20 board meeting she attended.
“We clapped after he got done speaking, because he knew his stuff,” Bishop said. “That’s where the journey began.”
Helmert said he had thought about running for office for years, but hadn’t considered running for school board this year until Bishop suggested it. He decided that his long career in law enforcement and his current experience as an electrical engineering student at Mississippi State University gave him relevant experience in community service and with technology, an issue at the forefront of many parents’ minds during the pandemic.
When Bishop and Allen approached him about the candidate forum, he immediately agreed.
Simmons did not.
“If your group wants to get to know me then we can do it without the other candidate,” he said in one message to them.
Allen posted screenshots of their interaction in their Facebook group. The post drew critical comments from parents, though it was not clear how many of them live in District 5.
“It says a lot about how they feel about their constituents,” one woman commented.
Simmons alluded to the situation on his own Facebook page.
“I will not get into any ‘mud slinging‘ nor will I reach out to anyone and try to explain why my opponent wouldn’t make a good School Board Member,” he wrote.
He told the Sun Herald he felt a dual conversation would turn into a debate, which he believes wasn’t appropriate for a school board race.
“I’m like, we’re not debating on any issues, we’re just saying why we think we should be on the school board and what we can do,” he said. “We’re not debating tax law or medical issues.”
Instead, Helmert appeared alone on the Q&A, which Allen hosted on Facebook live on Sunday evening.
Change or status quo?
Simmons said he has planned to run for the position for years. His wife even transferred from a teaching job in the district to one in Gulfport, so that if he did end up on the school board there would be no appearance of a conflict of interest. In addition to his wife, a number of his relatives are teachers.
“I’ve always been interested in being on the school board to see what I can do to help get the best education for all students,” he said.
Bradley, who hosted a meet and greet in early October for Simmons, said that supporting him was an easy decision. He is impressed by Simmons’ work with youth as a coach and through his church, and he thinks Simmons will get along well with other board members.
“In my opinion he’s just a genuine good fellow, wanting to do best for the kids,” Bradley said.
Gill is also supporting Simmons.
“Eric has my support and vote!” he commented on one of Simmons’ Facebook posts.
Since 2019, Mississippi school superintendents have been appointed by their local school boards, rather than elected.
Simmons also recently attended after-school pickup to greet parents and students at North Woolmarket Elementary, accompanied by board president Rena Wiggins.
“I am still a Harrison County voter and have a personal life and views,” she said. “As a School Board member I will welcome anyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work for the betterment of the students of Harrison County.”
When the Sun Herald asked Simmons about his visit to North Woolmarket and his support from current board members and the superintendent, he ended the interview.
“After consulting with my advisor, the interview is complete,” he texted later. “You veered off the topic that was presented to me for the interview.”
He declined to answer further questions, including who is advising him.
If Helmert wins the seat, he’ll join a board he has spent months criticizing. He has been particularly vocal about what he sees as a lack of transparency. Agendas posted online are sparse and detailed minutes, including votes and records of discussion and public comments, are not provided. Helmert wants that to change.
He also wants to focus on improving the district’s technology and increasing the role of parent and teacher input in decision-making.
“I would just demand that we have everyone involved in the process and that everyone within the district... would be able to participate and have some voice in the process,” he said.
Simmons said he is careful to avoid making promises or plans he can’t keep.
“My plan if elected, would be to follow the duties I am allowed to make decisions about,” he wrote in one Facebook post.
He has emphasized the limits of the school board role, and told the Sun Herald that his first priority on the job would be learning the lay of the land from teachers and administrators.
“I’m not going to just go in there and jump the gun, say I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that,” he said. “I’m going to see what we can actually do. A lot of people don’t realize there’s only so much the school board can do.”
No matter who wins on Nov. 3, many parents will likely be watching their actions more closely than they have in the past. Before the pandemic, many didn’t think much about the school board. That has changed.
Bishop, who chose to withdraw her kids from the district and pay an instructor to teach them this school year, said she would never have known about the school board race if not for the pandemic.
“And probably [I] would not have cared if it wasn’t for corona, and that’s sad to say,” she said. “I really didn’t have any complaints about the school district… If we were in a normal school year, without covid, we wouldn’t be talking right now.”
