Larry Judkins seeks re-election to school board
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“Several people in my district have encouraged me to seek a second term and that’s what I’d like to do if the people see fit to send me back,” he said.
Judkins, a quality control inspector for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, has served as a member of the School Board since he was elected in 1998. He represents the 3rd District, which is comprised of the 4th and 5th County Commission districts.
He is currently chairman of the Building, Grounds and Insurance Committee and the Child Nutrition Committee. He is also a member of the Negotiations and Grievances, and Transportation committees.
Though as a School Board member it is his responsibility to ensure a quality education for the county’s children, Judkins said being a member of the board has given him an education of sorts. “I’ve learned that one person can’t do anything by himself. It’s a team effort. And I think we’ve got a pretty good team here,” he said.
During his term, he said, the board as a whole has made several progressive decisions. Those mentioned were making Memorial Day and Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday school holidays, repairing the track at Warren County Middle School and working to get all county students out of portable buildings.
Also, he added, the board has done its best to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money, that being especially important with last year’s school budget comprising about $32 million of county, state and federal dollars. Nonetheless, “there’s always room for improvement and we’re always looking to be better stewards and make the school system more cost effective,” he said.
Should he be re-elected, Judkins said he will continue to do everything in his power to ensure Warren County’s children receive a quality education and are always safe at school. Specifically he said he would work toward getting a pay increase for teachers and keeping the school system’s student-to-teacher ratios as low as they can be.