Post-COVID transition, employee salaries among top issues for Dougherty School Board candidate

EDITOR’S NOTE: Part of a series about the candidates challenging for the vacant District 2 Dougherty County School Board seat.

ALBANY — Kenneth Florence has been sitting somewhat on the outside, but now he is seeking a seat at the table for Dougherty County School Board business.

As a member of Albany Community Builders Inc., one of Florence’s roles with the organization is monitoring school board meetings. Others attend meetings of the Albany City Commission, Dougherty County Commission and the Albany Utility Board and share their impression of the activities of the governmental agencies.

One of six candidates seeking to fill the unexpired term of the late Milton “June Bug” Griffin, who died in February, in District 2, Florence said his experience sitting in on the board’s meetings since 2005 gives him a good head start.

“Everybody knows I do that,” he said. “That’s why I feel so strongly about running. I’m an advocate for the community.

“I want to be on the school board because I feel there is a need for the kids that for the last year have gone through COVID. The main thing is we don’t leave any kids behind. The main reason I’m running is I want the city, county and school board to work together. We can do so much more together than separately.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students on the southside of Albany have been among the most affected academically, as many struggle with internet access, he said.

“I talked to some teachers, and they said the internet goes out and they (students) can’t get their lessons,” the candidate said.

A retiree whose career included Procter & Gamble, MillerCoors and Sears, Florence said he is available to be committed full-time to the school system and the community.

Florence, who also served four years in the U.S. Army, said he plans to meet with principals whose schools are in District 2, including Monroe Comprehensive High School, Radium Springs Middle School and three elementary schools to get their input.

Florence’s community activities extend to assisting the elderly through Albany Builders and the H.E.A.R.T. Organization Inc., which distributes shoes to school students.

“We give 500 pairs of shoes to the kids,” at the campuses with the most need, he said. “We give each school a hundred pairs of shoes. The kids are so proud because they get good shoes, brand new shoes.”

If elected, Florence said one of the issues he would address would be employee salaries. While that encompasses all employees, he said those in some non-certified positions who make $8 an hour and often have to work other jobs to make ends meet should be better compensated.

“We need to work on pay for the Dougherty County School System,” he said. “If a parent can make more pay, they have more time to spend with their kids. We want to get that (pay) up as much as we can. That’s one of the things I’m going to tackle.”

For the students, Florence said he sees the need to help them return to more normal lives after the pandemic. There are funds available to assist the school system, and the need to assist in the transition is great.

“I think a lot of things won’t be like they used to be,” he said. “We’ve got to get kids out of the house, back on the football field, playing baseball, playing soccer. That’s my plan, to get kids out of the house, playing sports like they used to before COVID.”