Carol Tharin, Darrel Ealum depart Dougherty School Board with high hopes for system

ALBANY — Dougherty County School Board Chairwoman Carol Tharin and District 6 School Board member Darrel Ealum officially ended their tenures as BOE members this past week when the body held its final meeting of the year.

Both were elected to office in 2010. Tharin chose not to run for re-election, while Ealum was successful in his bid to oust incumbent Carol Fullerton in the state House 153 race.

Ealum missed the last two BOE meetings as he went through incoming government freshman orientation in Atlanta and Athens, while Tharin became emotional after she adjourned her final meeting as a board member.

“Has this been an adventure? Yes, it most certainly has been,” Tharin, who will be moving to Auburn, Ala., with her husband, Dixon, said of her four years on the BOE. “The best part of the job has happened over the past two years, seeing some of the system’s significant problems being addressed head-on. We’ve dealt with nepotism, sketchy financial problems and we’re starting to see our test scores come up.

“Most of it is due to the leadership of (DCSS Superintendent Butch Mosley). I hope the people of the community can see fit to keep the right people on the Board of Education to continue the progress we have made over the past two years.”

Ealum issued the following statement to his fellow board members via email:

“Working with you to serve our students, parents and community has been a highlight of my life,” he wrote. “I am disappointed I cannot attend my final Board meeting; however, I am in Athens attending the UGA Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators. Together, we have made a difference in our School System. Drawing from my military experience, I often worried that our School System was a battleship adrift; however, with the leadership of Dr. Mosely, Mr. Ken Dyer, Dr. (Ufot) Inyang and their powerful team, we have corrected our course, and we are under way. Although we have a long way to go, our leadership team has a vision with goals, and the future looks bright.

“I am elated we took the lead to place a computing device in every student’s hand. Paper textbooks will become a relic, and at the vanguard, we are paving the way for one-to-one computing in the secondary arena. I urge you to press forward with a College and Career Academy. I believe with all my heart a CCA will serve to keep more of our young folks in school and will ensure more of them graduate. An academy that focuses on dual enrollment, internships and business relevancy will be a tremendous asset for our entire community.”

Tharin agreed that the failure of the board to establish a college and career academy by a 4-3 vote in 2012, ranks among the greatest regrets of her tenure.

“I wish we would have been able to create a college and career academy when we had the chance,” Tharin said. “That is the one thing I think will make a lasting impact on this community. I don’t think it’s dead yet, but there is still a lot of work left on educating some leaders of the community to clear up their misconceptions.”

Tharin added that she thought if she leaves a legacy behind, it will be one of a brighter future for Albany.

“If I have a legacy, I hope it would be that we have begun down the road to get the Dougherty County School System to where it once was,” she said. “We have qualified administration now. If the board chooses to support Dr. Mosely, it will happen. If not, it won’t happen.”

Melissa Strother will take Tharin’s place as District 4’s representative on the school board next month; Ealum will be replaced by Dean Phinazee.