Dr. Tawana Mattox, Dr. Kara Dyckman and Dr. LaKeisha Gantt (left to right) stand in the Athens Community Career Academy library holding certificates noting their elections to the Clarke County School District Board of Education on Jan. 3. Gantt looks forward to collaborating with other members of the BOE over the beginning of her term. “I think these next couple months will give Tawana, Kara and myself an opportunity to get to learn a little bit more about the group dynamics,” Gantt said. “We’ll get to hear a little bit more about what’s important for other board members and then we’ll get an idea about the pulse of the group and figure out how we move forward as a group.” Photo by Colin Frick
Three new members have been elected to the Clarke County School District Board of Education: Dr. LaKeisha Gantt, Dr. Tawana Mattox and Dr. Kara Dyckman. Each will serve a four-year term on the BOE.
Dr. Kara Dyckman, Dr. Tawana Mattox and Dr. LaKeisha Gantt were sworn into the Clarke County School District Board of Education on Jan. 3 at the Athens Community Career Academy.
Gantt, a CCSD parent who has served as a behavior specialist for the school district, believes her experience has given her insights about how to impact the student population.
“When I worked as a behavior specialist, that was the challenge. That was our job — figuring out ways in which we could go about improving behavior to the degree that it depended on us,” Gantt said.
For Gantt, interactions between teachers and students are one thing she wishes to improve.
“(We need to address) how we go about processing and addressing discipline. How do we teach and shape the behaviors we want to see?” Gantt said. “I really think being able to support teachers and administrators as they go about interacting with students as it relates to their behavior (is important) and how we go about supporting teachers overall.”
Dyckman, who has been serving as a psychology department lecturer at the University of Georgia since 2012, also believes her professional experience will be beneficial.
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned through studying cognitive psychology is to be able to look at things through different perspectives,” Dyckman said. “Everybody comes at things from their own perspective based on their own experiences, and that leads to the way that they think about things.”
Dyckman hopes to focus on approaching equity throughout her term, something that CCSD Superintendent Dr. Demond Means has emphasized in the past.
“One of the things that Dr. Means has been talking about has been equity,” Dyckman said. “If we could get to a point where we can be more individualized and be able to actually understand what each student needs and give that to that student, then I think that performance will improve.”
According to Mattox, her experience with community engagement is one that will be helpful as she steps into her new role.
“I’ve worked with parents as an advocate. I’ve worked with students as a literacy coach and as a volunteer through Destiny, Incorporated Nonprofit,” Mattox said. “I actually have facilitated college and career readiness workshops through churches, as well as just working with other organizations.”
Additionally, Mattox has an understanding of the college application process and is an advocate for college options students have while still in high school.
“At Destiny, Incorporated, we actually work with our students and our parents to make sure they understand how to complete the college application, the financial aid process and not only how to get into college but more importantly how to stay in college,” Mattox said.
Members of the CCSD community, including 2003 CCHS graduate and CCSD parent Kirrena Gallagher are optimistic about the new board members.
“I know (Gantt) and (Mattox) and they are invested in the community, which makes a world of difference, so they’ll bring somewhat of a different perspective. Perspective is everything,” Gallagher said.
Cedar Shoals High School social studies department teacher Jesse Evans also has a positive outlook for the new board members.
“LaKeisha Gantt and Tawana Mattox are both wonderful people and I’m really excited to see what direction the school board is going to go,” Evans said. “They’re both tied to the community and both grew up in the area in public education.”
CAPS department teacher Dr. Stefan Smith believes that board members having children in the CCSD, as Gantt and Dyckman do, could be beneficial to their perspectives as board members.
“Having kids is not the total end-all, be-all of importance of being here, but I feel like that helps,” Smith said. “If a kid comes home and tells you their educational experience that day, then that helps anybody understand better what’s going on in the district.”
CCHS junior Chandler Gantt, son of Dr. Gantt, is dual enrolled at the ACCA and hopes the new board members will make high school scheduling a priority.
“(I’d like for board members to) make (CCHS have) a block schedule like we are here, (at the Athens Community Career Academy),” Gantt said. “(That way) people could get more credits and it would be easier to graduate.”
For Evans, educational equity for his students is an important goal.
“I think that Lakeisha Gantt and Tawana Mattox are really passionate about making sure that our system serves all students well regardless of race and they want to pursue equity as far as I understand,” Evans said
Smith is excited for the future the new members could bring.
“We’re psyched to have new board members and sometimes that’s refreshing and sometimes you need (those new perspectives) to kind of reflect on what’s going on,” Smith said. “Maybe they can give us some valuable insight and help make things better.”
