Editor's note: Smoky Mountain Times asked candidates to introduce themselves and answer the following questions by email.
Are schools are providing the safest environment for students?
Should schools invest more into preventing vaping at school?
Would you support the plan for a new middle school and track?
Should students receive free snacks provided by the school?
Are the teachers are doing an outstanding job targeting the learning loss from the pandemic?
Jamie Fisher
I’m Jamie Fisher of the Jenkins Branch community. I am married to Rita Barnes Fisher, and we have two wonderful children, Daniel and April. They gave us four special grandchildren, Camilla, Lakeland, Hadley and Ellorie.
I have been employed at Coca-Cola for 28 years. I have served in the military and National Guard. I have also served as a little league coach, board member for the Swain County Youth Athletes Association, president of the Maroon Devil Booster Club, member of the Social Service board, chairman of Swain County Board of Elections and am currently a member of the Swain County Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.
I went to Swain County Schools. My parents, grandparents, and children went to Swain County Schools. I love our schools and have been dedicated to supporting our schools. If elected to the Swain County School Board, I will think through decisions and have a fair and balanced approach. I love children and want nothing more than to be an advocate for the staff, faculty and students of Swain County. Being a candidate is an honor, and I am willing to govern by doing what’s best for the whole system. I promise to put our students, staff, and faculty first.
Priorities: I want to make sure every student in Swain County receives a quality education and has a great educational experience. We need to provide better pay for our staff. This means teachers, custodians, teacher assistants, cafeteria staff, secretaries, bus drivers, and maintenance. We must show them that what they do for our children is valued. The cost of living in Swain County is very high. We have to have a united board working with our state legislature and local commissioners to make sure we are getting the best and brightest teachers to teach our children.
Safe schools- No. We can’t be complacent and think we are completely safe. Criminals adapt so we must adapt too.
Vaping- No. We should invest more in educating children and parents on the dangers of vaping.
New middle school- Yes! I completely support the building of schools and maximizing funding made available to our school system.
Free snacks- Yes! I truly believe that we could raise the money to give every student a snack.
Overcoming Covid- Yes! I think our teachers have worked very hard and sacrificed their time to ensure our students are not behind in school.
Lisa Stoltzfus Loftis
My name is Lisa (Stoltzfus) Loftis. I moved to Swain County as a teenager and graduated high school at Swain County High. I married my husband Branton Loftis in 2004 and we have 5 children. Abbey (16), Savannah (15), James (13), Charleigh (11) and Judson (8). I am a Director at a local, private nonprofit and Branton is an assistant Pastor at Christ Fellowship Church in Cherokee. All 5 of our children attend Swain County Schools and are involved in various sports and activities. We reside in the Franklin Grove Community.
My driving passion is to cultivate a healthy education environment for my family, friends, and all who are involved in Swain County Schools. I believe that Swain County has a special quality that not many school systems can offer. Community. For over 11 years, I have made every effort to stay connected in the many ways that my children have been involved. I have seen the ways that Swain County Schools have enriched my children’s lives. But I have also seen room for reform and improvement. In this role, I will continue to put my best foot forward in the many ways we can grow as a School Board while representing Swain County - “Our Best, And Then Some.”
As any parent's answer would be, I believe the health and safety of our children should be the #1 priority in our school system. This includes but is not limited to physical, mental, and emotional health and ensuring that every child is given equal opportunities for growth.
Schools are providing the safest environment for students?
Yes. The school should always be looking for ways to improve the safety of the school environment. We often equate that to more locked doors and cameras, but one of the biggest safety concerns I have is the lack of crossing guards at the bottom of the Middle School for the large group of kids that walk to town after school.
Should schools invest more into preventing vaping at school?
Yes absolutely! But that doesn't have to just mean monetary investment, that also means investing our time to teach them the dangers of vaping and connecting with kids on a level that they in turn want to model what they are being told.
Would you support the plan for a new middle school and track?
Yes. Our school is growing at a rapid rate and we definitely need a larger facility for this age group. I also believe a new track would provide more opportunities for students to be involved in a broader range of athletic activities.
Should students receive free snacks provided by the school?
Yes. A simple snack is proven (even among teens) to boost energy and help with focus. And since we don’t know each individual home life a child has, this is one simple thing we should offer across the board without prejudice.
Teachers are doing an outstanding job targeting learning loss from the pandemic?
I truly believe everyone is doing the best they can, with the resources they have, to move forward after a time in our lives that everything was turned upside down. I truthfully hope we not only recover, but we are able to progress forward to make things even better.
R.L. Taylor
I am a Swain County native that was raised in a Christian home. I graduated from Swain County High School and went on to graduate from Mars Hill University and obtained my teaching degree. My Christian roots and values have guided me throughout my life.
My wife and I are getting ready to celebrate our 39th anniversary. We have two children that we raised in Swain County. They both are married to wonderful spouses, and we love spoiling our two grandsons.
I presently own and operate an insurance agency in Swain County. I have coached and sponsored little league teams and recreation park basketball teams. I am always glad to donate in support of the local fundraisers and in support of school events.
I am currently a participant in the Swain County Schools Reading Buddies Program.
I want our school system to be the best it can be. I worked for 33 years as an educator. I believe my years working in school systems gives me a better insight into the strengths of our Swain County School System, as well as areas that can be improved. I believe I can help our system get better while helping to improve our children’s educational experience.
I will work to ensure our schools are ranked among the best in N.C. We should not settle for anything less.
Promote an attitude that our students are as capable as any students in the world. We, as a school system and community, should set high standards and do our best to help our students reach those goals. We should expect our students to excel in the classroom and “knock the top” out of end of grade and end of course state tests.
Promote education in the subject areas by holding all involved in our educational system to high standards.
Help everyone realize that we have an obligation to teach and train our children to become responsible adults with ethical and moral values.
School Safety
I believe our schools are working to keep our students safe.
Some ideas to look at include:
-Keep all exterior doors locked.
-Utilize the resource officers to secure school grounds.
-Each school have an emergency task force that meets regularly to address safety concerns.
-Have emergency drill procedures.
Vaping should not be condoned at school.
We want our schools to be safe in every way.
Studies show that Users inhale e-cigarette aerosol into their lungs. Bystanders can also breathe in this aerosol when the user exhales it into the air.
E-cigarette devices can be used to deliver marijuana and other drugs.
I have attended school board meetings where plans for a new middle school and a new track have been discussed. There are many variables to look at. The site would need to be a place that can be monitored for student safety and a location that can be built on without a lot of land preparation expense such as moving excessive amounts of dirt or rock.
If a student is hungry and needs help, we should do everything we can to feed that student.
The pandemic had a big effect on our schools, as well as society as a whole. While our school staff worked diligently on providing material through the E Learning process, that process can never take the place of the teacher in the classroom. I believe the majority of our teachers have the students’ best interest at heart, and now that we are back in the classroom our school system must focus on instruction. I am a retired educator with 33 years of experience, and I know some of the issues that face our school employees everyday. I will do everything I can to help our teachers get the resources they need so our children in Swain County can reach their full potential. I believe our students in Swain County are as capable as any students in the world. Our schools have an obligation to teach the subject areas, and we should not settle for 50% average mastery on NC End of Grade/Course exams. We are better than that.
Our children deserve our best effort.
Travis Hyatt
I am a native of Swain County and I am proud to be a product of the Swain County School system. I continue to have a vested interest in our district and the education of our future graduates. Connor, my oldest son, graduated in 2000 and is currently attending Carson Newman University. Cooper recently graduated and is attending UNC Charlotte. Our daughter, Kinsley, is a freshman at Swain High. My wife, Lee, began her 25th year with Swain County Schools this fall. I believe in public education and I love what this school system means to me and my family. I am visible throughout the community and can easily be found at school functions whether it be academic banquets, plays, or sporting events. My door will always be open to you. I believe Swain County Schools can and should be the leader in Western North Carolina.
Serving on the Board during the pandemic was extremely challenging. I am very proud of the dedication shown by our faculty and staff. On my days off work, I went into the schools and assisted, as needed. I helped pack lunches, cleaned, and delivered food on bus routes. I saw firsthand how important it was to follow safety protocols and make plans of returning our students back to the classroom as soon as possible. I have always put the safety of our employees and students first. Our board worked tirelessly to keep our students in school. We followed the recommendations of our state and local health department and we were able to reopen our schools while many surrounding districts continued to be remote. Regardless, if I have a seat on the board or not, I will never stop being an advocate for Swain County Schools and will continue to give back to my community.
Educating students, transparency in decision making, teacher salaries, and facilities to name a few…. If I am re-elected to the position of Swain County School Board, I will continue to advocate for 100% transparency in all decision making. It is important that the people in our community know what is going on and why we are making the decisions for our school system. I will never hesitate to listen to your suggestions and concerns. I am a man of integrity and I will ask hard questions when needed. I will always stand up for what is right and be an advocate for our students and staff. Educating the students to the best of our ability will always be my priority because they are the future of this community. I see the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff and they deserve to earn competitive wages. I will advocate for local supplements and increased salaries. Being good stewards with local and state funds will also be a priority as we develop plans to address our facility needs. I promise that every single vote that I cast will be centered around what I feel is best for the students and staff. I will always be a voice for this community and do what I can to keep Swain County Schools one of the best in Western North Carolina.
Absolutely! The staff at Swain County work diligently to provide the safest environment for our students. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that employees would do anything to keep the students safe and provide extra measures to ensure that children feel safe in the school setting. We have a good working relationship with local law enforcement and our school resource officers that are placed in all our schools.
No. We invested $150,000 over a period of 5 years in vape detectors for the bathrooms at the middle school and high school. I feel we need to educate children from an early age about the dangers of vaping and smoking. I also feel we need to use the staff we have to monitor hallways and problem areas within the schools during transitions. We need to look at our code of conduct to make sure we have appropriate discipline for vaping. I realize this will not completely fix the problem but I do not feel we need to invest any more funds towards vaping.
Yes, however, I do not want to do this at the expense of our county or tax dollars. We need to seek out grant opportunities to provide the funds needed for new construction projects and to help with our facility improvements.
Until this year all of our schools received free breakfast and lunch and our two elementary schools continue to receive this. To the best of my knowledge, snacks have never been included in this. I am a huge advocate for all students in our school system to receive free breakfast, lunch and a snack. We need to pursue grants or state and federal assistance to make this happen.
YES! Although learning lost over the course of the pandemic will not be regained overnight, I feel our teachers and staff have gone above and beyond in helping close the gaps that COVID created. Our school system is offering free afterschool for students as well as tutoring. Our classroom teachers maximize every single minute of their school day to provide solid instruction and meet the needs of our children.