Palmer Griffin, 63, defeated John Conley and Sherwood Jones III in a race for a seat on the Dalton Board of Education on Tuesday. Griffin retired five years ago as the school system's assistant superintendent.The head of one of North Georgia's biggest churches will now sit on the Dalton Board of Education.
Matt Evans, who defeated incumbent Steve Laird with 62 percent of the vote Tuesday, is the lead pastor at Rock Bridge Community Church. Opened in 2002, the organization has built a large following, with six campuses across North Georgia and Hixson. Combined, Evans said, about 4,000 people come to a Rock Bridge service every Sunday.
"God gave me opportunities in leadership," he said after his victory. "That's just a passion of mine, whether it's in the church, the military, the community: to try to provide effective leadership. I'm going to make mistakes. I do every day. But I just really believe we need to have positive, effective leadership."
Since 1954, the Johnson Amendment has prohibited nonprofit organizations such as churches from participating in an individual candidate's political campaign. But Evans, 42, said he separated his status as a religious leader from that of a politician.
"We weren't going to use our church platforms, such as our teaching and communications platforms, for my campaign," he said. "Our church was interested in it, me being a part of the church. And our church cares deeply [about public schools]. They were watching and observing and engaging."
Dalton Board of Education seat
Matt Evans: 1,113 votesSteve Laird: 701 votesJohn Conley: 295 votesPalmer Griffin: 951 votesSherwood Jones III: 482 votes
In 2015, the Hartford Institute for Religious Research listed Rock Bridge as one of two megachurches in North Georgia, with a population of 2,900 at the time. Evans said the church is interdenominational, with Southern Baptist roots.
When he takes his seat in January, Evans will be one of two new members of the board. Palmer Griffin, a retired teacher and former Dalton Public Schools assistant superintendent, defeated incumbent Sherwood Jones III on Tuesday.
Evans and Griffin, 63, enter the scene in the midst of key changes for the school system. The board is planning the construction of a sixth- and seventh-grade school, scheduled to open in 2020. The board also is sifting through applications for a new superintendent.
Evans, the son of two retired Dalton Public Schools employees, said he wanted to run because he believes the board has been dysfunctional.
"You're like a car that can't get out of first gear," he said Wednesday. "I hope I can help us get to consensus. That's hard work. That's challenging. It's almost easier to disagree."
Evans declined to discuss specific examples. But board Chairman Dr. Rick Fromm agreed with the assessment, saying some board members carried "agendas from the tea party" and blocked efforts to increase funding. In particular, he pointed to the decade-long fight to build a new school.
Fromm declined to name which board members caused friction. But in September, he and Laird argued after Laird wrote an opinion piece in Dalton's Daily-Citizen News that criticized a plan to temporarily move sixth-grade students into trailers. Laird accused other board members of sneaking a plan through without public input.
During a Sept. 21 work session, Fromm told Laird he misled the public. The board was not about to vote on the plan, it was discussing whether to research the concept further. The board members stopped pursuing the plan after a group of sixth-grade teachers objected.
"Through the community, there was a lot of conversation," Fromm said of the board's infighting. "There was a lot of unhappiness. It was easy to see we were having our difficulties and having some dysfunction on the board."
Said Laird: "You have to have an eye for improvement. I think we've done that. Sometimes, it's easy just to accept how things are going. When you have scores like our scores, which need improvement, you have to be looking for ways to improve."
In 2016, proficiency rates in Dalton Public Schools sat between 36.2 and 57.8, depending on the subject. The school system has challenges with the city's large working class population, some of whom are first-generation immigrants.
This year, 70 percent of students in the school system are Latino. In 2016, 73.6 percent of students qualified for free and reduced lunches.
Evans said he hopes to improve schools in the low-income areas. For four years, Rock Bridge has partnered with Roan Elementary School, where the church acts like a local PTA. Small church groups partner with classrooms, throwing holiday parties, reading to students and mentoring some children. When a principal or teacher reports a specific need, like a student without a coat, the Rock Bridge community pitches in.
Almost nine out of 10 students at Roan Elementary qualified for free or reduced lunches last year, the second-highest rate in Dalton behind Park Creek Elementary School. Meanwhile, 39.5 percent of Roan Elementary students were proficient in English, 55.3 percent were proficient in math, 41.2 percent were proficient in science and 43.3 percent were proficient in social studies.
Asked how he thinks the overall school system can improve, Evans said he wants to solicit more volunteers throughout the city. Fromm pointed out that First Baptist Church of Dalton and Dalton First United Methodist Church also have partnered with local schools. Evans believes Rock Bridge's work has helped, even as the proficiency rates remain low.
"We can always do better," he said. "We can always do more. But yes, I can tell you individual stories of kids. And even their parents. They love their kids. But they may not know how best to support them academically. But when they see a mentor read to their kid, encourage their kid, they see that and think, 'That's how I can help support my child and their education.'"
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.