The two newest members will be sworn in next January. They join a board who is currently seeking their next superintendent through Alma Group, an education consulting firm.
Here are some of Bailey and Walker’s priorities.
William Bailey
Bailey’s top priorities are unifying the school board and seeking mental health support that could be helpful for students, parents and staff.
Bailey is a county investigator for the Montgomery County Probate Court and a pastor at St. Peter’s Missionary Baptist Church in Jefferson Twp. As part of a previous job, he worked with teenagers on their mental health.
Bailey said he wants to investigate what resources parents, students and teachers have before making any further decisions.
“When I’m talking about the students, we’ve got to mention the parents,” he said. “Because sometimes we’re getting help for the students but then they’re going home and then it becomes unstable.”
He noted mental health has become a greater problem since the pandemic.
Bailey said he wants to talk to other board members to find common ground, which he hopes will help bring the board members together.
He said he also wants to showcase the good that’s happening at DPS, through the arts, bands and other programs that students have.
“One of the biggest things that I’d love to do is start to find a way to advertise what the school has to offer and showcasing some of our students,” Bailey said.
Eric Walker
Walker’s top priority is increasing community and parent engagement. He says he also wants more accountability and transparency.
“I think a lot of times parents reach out and the communication between the parent and the district gets lost somewhere,” Walker said. “So we have to do a better job of actually responding to parents and being more transparent with the conversations.”
Walker is a Thurgood Marshall High School graduate who currently works for Jefferson Twp. as a zoning administrator and assistant task administrator.
He says he wants to host town halls and breakfast events with local officials and key DPS employees and have office hours where people can come speak to him.
“We have to get out of the concept of expecting parents to come to us and express their concerns and stay downtown in a board meeting,” Walker said.
Walker said the employees and parents need to be made aware of key decisions. He said some families are choosing to go to a charter school instead of the public district because of the lack of transparency.
“I’m saying that people are leaving Dayton Public because they are tired of being given the runaround,” Walker said.
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