FYN will be running a series of interviews with local candidates from the county commissioners and school board races. Each interview will be published separately and run again before the primary elections May 20.

Daniel Bell, candidate, Pickens County School Board Post 2
His kids did it. Daniel Bell admits that the birth of his children and their life-changing presence has opened his eyes to his vision of education. As a product of Pickens County Schools all the way up to his current gig of teacher at Chattahoochee Tech, Bell feels he now sees how he can positively contribute to the development of the community’s children. He is asking to be seated as Pickens County School Board’s Post 2 selection in the May 20 primary.

Although he takes this opportunity seriously, Bell was all smiles as he sat down with FYN to answer questions about his candidacy.

Why do you feel qualified to be a school board member? What skills do you bring to the job?

“I don’t know that anybody would actually feel qualified other than being a parent, being interested in what goes on daily in the system and being a community member. Adding my technical background and educator at the (Chattahoochee) technical college for seven years would add more to my credentials.”

Bell said he also offers mediation skills in his ability to find common ground to move toward solutions. He cited the national political scene as currently being unable to find common ground but that in the local communities that ability must be preserved to move past difficulties.

“I’m very attuned to right and wrong and to how the work environment should be professional. There are avenues we shouldn’t have to go down and it’s a given that work environments should be as good as they could be,”

he said.

What are your five-year goals for the school system? 10-year goals?

Improvement in technical education is a goal he’d like the district see to fruition.

“A motivator as a community member is I see there is a lack of technical education so seeing that turned around, dramatically, is one goal.”

Bell went on to address common core:

“I want to make sure local control of what happens here stays local. I think that’s something we’re going to have to contend with over time.”

He asserted it’s hard to foresee what direction the common core issue may go in the future with it being an election year and state level elected officials unwilling to make a commitment at this time.

A 10-year goal is if he is elected that his legacy be that his open communication will establish trust that people know he’s working for them.

“I would like for people to remember me as someone who did the best I could while I was there,”

he finished.

What is the biggest problem facing the district:

Teacher morale:

“I want everyone to feel that the system is in fact a ‘system’. A ‘system’ takes everybody working together to accomplish goals which is education of our children first and foremost. What concerns me about the district is that teachers feel like they work FOR so many people and I have no desire for anyone to feel like they’re working for me, I want them to feel like they’re working WITH me. If elected I wouldn’t be able to perform my duties without those people.”

He explained that they see everything and he would like them to basically be his advisory council. He expressed that elected officials represent the people who elected them and he’d like to see them be more involved in the process rather than information being passed between the board members.

What does being involved in childrens’ lives mean to you?

“I feel like I have and am leading a very blessed life and I try to uphold who I am to a very high standard.”

Delving more into the idea Bell said that he strives to be the same person in each situation and tries to inspire his students to do the same.

Regarding that he said,

“it establishes you in who you are and will provide you with more opportunities in life if people do not consider you being one person in front of them and another person away from them.”