Escambia County School Board District 3 has two candidates running for the seat currently filled by incumbent David Williams. The information below was completed solely by the candidate at the request of the Pensacola News Journal and appears unedited.
IF A CANDIDATE DID NOT RETURN A QUESTIONNAIRE BY DEADLINE, THEIR Q&A WAS NOT PUBLISHED.
Office you're seeking: Escambia County School Board, District 3
Occupation: Senior Pastor of Greater True Vine Baptist Church; retired Legal/Personnel Chief Warrant Officer, United States Marine Corps; and retired Chaplain Supervisor, Florida Department of Corrections
Education:Educated in the public schools of Jackson County, Florida
Associate of Arts, Tallahassee Community College
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Religion, Florida State University
Master of Divinity, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Doctor of Ministry, Interdenominational Theological Center–Morehouse School of Religion, Magna Cum Laude
I am running because I believe District 3 deserves a School Board representative who will be present, listen to the people, ask difficult questions, and follow through.
I have spent my life serving others as a Marine, chaplain, pastor, mentor, father, and community leader. Those experiences taught me that leadership is not about holding a title. Leadership is about accepting responsibility, treating people with respect, and remaining accountable for results.
I want to bring that same commitment to the School Board. Our students deserve strong schools, our teachers and staff deserve meaningful support, and our parents deserve honest communication and a voice in their children's education.
Leadership is about listening, serving, and keeping your word. I would be honored to serve the students, families, educators, and communities of District 3.
I completed more than 23 years of military service, retiring from the United States Marine Corps as a Legal/Personnel Chief Warrant Officer. Throughout my military career, I developed strong skills in leadership, discipline, accountability, teamwork, personnel management, and making difficult decisions while remaining focused on the mission.
Following my military retirement, I served as a Chaplain Supervisor with the Florida Department of Corrections. Since 2004, I have served as pastor of Greater True Vine Baptist Church. Through these leadership roles, I have managed people and resources, counseled families, mentored young people, resolved conflicts, and worked with individuals from many different backgrounds.
Through Greater True Vine, I have also supported students and families at Global Learning Academy through annual back-to-school, Christmas, and summer-release activities.
The School Board is responsible for policy, budgeting, oversight, and holding the district accountable. My leadership, management, ministry, and community experience have prepared me to study the issues, ask the right questions, work with others, and make decisions based on what is best for students.
Yes. I have been the parent of a child enrolled in Escambia County Public Schools. That experience gave me a personal understanding of the importance of strong teachers, effective school leadership, family communication, and a safe learning environment.
The primary role of public schools is to educate every child and prepare that child for life after graduation.
Students must learn to read, write, think critically, solve problems, and communicate effectively. They should leave school prepared for college, technical training, military service, the workforce, or another productive path.
Public schools should also provide safe, respectful, and orderly environments where students can learn and teachers can teach. Schools cannot take the place of parents, but they must respect parents, keep them informed, and meaningfully involve them in their children's education.
A child's ZIP code, family income, disability, or personal circumstances should not determine the quality of education that child receives.
The biggest issue is student achievement. Although the district has made encouraging progress, too many students are still struggling in reading and mathematics.
When a child cannot read at grade level, that child is likely to struggle in every subject. We cannot simply move students from one grade to the next without addressing the skills they have not mastered.
Student achievement is also connected to attendance, classroom discipline, teacher vacancies, family involvement, and whether resources are reaching the students and schools that need them most.
The board must review school-level results, support effective reading and mathematics interventions, and ask whether the programs being funded are producing measurable improvement. Every child can learn, but we must identify problems early and provide the right support before that child falls further behind.
The district must give families strong reasons to choose Escambia County Public Schools. We have to compete by being excellent.
We should begin by listening to families who have left the district or are considering other options. We need to understand whether their concerns involve academics, safety, discipline, communication, transportation, school programs, or customer service.
The district should review enrollment trends school by school, strengthen academic programs, expand career and technical opportunities, maintain safe and orderly campuses, and make it easier for parents to understand the programs and services available to their children.
Parents should receive timely answers and feel welcomed when they contact a school or the district. We cannot control every decision a family makes, but we can make our public schools stronger, more responsive, and more competitive.
The district must improve communication, transparency, and accountability.
Too often, parents, teachers, staff members, and community residents feel that they are informed after a decision has already been made. People should have a meaningful opportunity to be heard before major decisions are finalized.
During my first months in office, I would establish a regular schedule for visiting District 3 schools and meeting with principals, teachers, support employees, parents, students, and community residents. I would also request school-level briefings on achievement, attendance, staffing, discipline, safety, facilities, and family concerns.
I would use that information in the board's policy, budget, and oversight work and provide regular updates to District 3 residents. People should know what concerns have been raised, what actions are being considered, and what progress is being made.
Listening is important, but listening must lead to action.
Escambia County Public Schools has dedicated teachers, principals, support employees, parents, and community partners who work hard every day to help students succeed. The district also provides career and technical education, magnet programs, extracurricular activities, and specialized services that create valuable opportunities for students.
The district's overall "A" rating shows that progress is possible, but that rating does not tell the whole story. Several schools serving District 3 continue to receive lower school grades, and too many students are still struggling in reading, mathematics, attendance, and other areas. We cannot allow a districtwide rating to cause us to overlook schools and students that need additional attention and support.
As a board member, I would examine what is working in higher-performing schools and determine how those successful practices, resources, and support systems can be applied in District 3 schools. I would also ask whether schools have the staffing, intervention programs, instructional support, and family-involvement resources necessary to improve student outcomes.
We should recognize districtwide progress, but we must also be honest about the gaps that remain. Success should not be measured only by the district's overall grade. It should be measured by whether every school is improving and whether every student has a genuine opportunity to succeed.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Isaac L. Williams for Escambia County School Board District 3 Q&A