Melissa Strother’s mission is to make Dougherty’s schools the best they can be.

ALBANY — Melissa Strother is a woman on a mission. That mission is to make the Dougherty County School Board the best it can be, says Strother, who is running on the Democratic ballot for District 4’s school board seat.

And accomplishing that mission will take the involvement of the entire community,

“To accomplish anything in an alliance, you have to work with everybody. Nobody likes a know it all.” Strother said. “I’m from Albany, a sixth generation Albanian. I have a passion for this city, I am committed to Albany and making it the best it can be. And that starts with having a great school system.”

Strother, who is making her second run at public office, will face Darton State College Assistant Professor of Economics Aaron Johnson in the May 20 primary. The winner is assured of the District 4 seat because there is no Republican opposition.

If elected Strother said she looks forward to working with Dougherty County School Superintendent Butch Mosely.

“Over the past year Dr. Mosely has displayed guts like we’ve never seen before,” she said. “He came out of retirement to take the job and he has no political agenda. His only agenda is pushing what’s best for the children of Dougherty County. We also have great, committed teachers who give up more than we will ever know to devote 150 percent to our students.

“I have had so many people tell me that Dougherty County needs a good school system and I believe the school board has the potential to have the biggest impact on our community. Having a well-educated community is important to our future economic development, to bringing business and industry into the region, and it’s important in reducing crime in the city.”

Strother’s main thrust is literacy and classroom sizes, two priorities she will focus upon if elected. She also vows to reduce nepotism in the system and pay special attention to the district’s finances.

“Dr. Mosely has made great strides in reducing nepotism within the school system, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” Strother said. “We also need to pay attention to where our money is going. Wise financial management is the difference between our school system being the best it can be or a drain on the community. If we address this issue I think we will continue to see gains in the system.”

“I’d also like to see smaller classroom sizes, especially in pre-K through third grades. If a child is not reading at grade level by the third grade, then that student will have difficulty catch up, if he or she catches up at all.”

Strother says when she looks at the school system, she see endless possibilities, much of it untapped.

“We have the potential to be great school system,” she said. “We have all the components, we just need to weave them all together to transform our system and our community.