Voters to decide 2 seats on BISD school board

Jeffrey Fulgham, Jr.

During the upcoming election season voters in the BISD school district will decide who will fill three upcoming open seats on the Brownsboro ISD school board.

The seats of Board President Joel Irwin and Charles Anderson are up for election. Irwin has filed for a fourth term. Anderson has chosen not to run for a second term.

Also running for a spot on the board are Jeffrey Fulgham, Jr. and Donny Wilson.

Following are brief interviews with each candidate.

Jeffrey Fulgham, Jr.

Youthfulness, openmindedness, and a financial background is what Jeffrey Fulgham, Jr. says he can offer the Brownsboro ISD school board.

"I think I have a lot to offer, " he said. "With my financial background I am capable of understanding where finances are concerned. I think I can be an asset."

Fulgham also said he will bring a fresh attitude to the table.

"It's not my goal to replace anybody," he said. "I just think I will be as good a candidate as any."

Fulgham, 31, has lived in Brownsboro his entire life. He is branch manager/assistant vice president of First State Bank of Brownsboro- Murchison branch.

Joel Irwin

He and his wife Amy have three daughters: Madison, 9; Morgyn, 7; and Molly, 4. They are active members of Rock Hill Baptist Church where Fulgham serves on the Finance Committee, among others, and helps with Sunday School.

With two children in school and the third to begin soon, Fulgham said he feels it is a good idea to run for school board.

Fulgham currently serves as a director of the East Texas Girls Softball league. He also participates in 4-H activities and events, as well as basketball, and of course, softball, with his daughters.

At the beginning of this year, Fulgham opened his insurance office, Athens Insurance Service, Inc.

So how will the vice president of a bank, an insurance agent, and an active father of three girls find time to serve on the school board?

"I have a banking career. I have an insurance agency, so I stay busy," he said. "I will do this like everything else. I will make the time. You have to be committed."

Joel Irwin

Brownsboro ISD school board president, Joel Irwin is seeking his fourth term.

His objectives are straightforward: Growth in academics, and providing the space necessary for that growth to continue in order to produce successful students.

Donny Wilson

"We've been on an academic plan for several years to strengthen our academic performance," he said. "It's maturing now where we can see the results of our plan. We've started seeing the progress in our elementary schools. I am pleased with the campus administration and teachers. All are on the same page in regards to what's needed and how to get there."

With the continued growth of the communities in the Brownsboro school district, Irwin said the district's learn- ing facilities are a never-ending challenge.

"We built two schools in the last five years (Brownsboro and Chandler Intermediates), we need an elementary for Brownsboro," he said. "We also have to look at Chandler elementary to address its growth needs. We also need to address the junior high facility because it's too small to accommodate student growth."

Space problems at the high school will be remedied this fall with the completion of the new vocational building, freeing up classroom space in the high school.

"My personal goal is to have an excellent school system in a rural setting," he said. "That was my main goal for running in the first place, to keep academics as a focal point."

In a rural area such as Brownsboro, the school district is usually what attracts families into a community, Irwin said.

"Brownsboro is not a business hub," he said. "Your school district is how people gauge the area. There is no reason for us not to excel or to graduate the best we can possibly turn out. My personal goal has always been to produce a productive student. We want our kids to be able to compete with anybody, anywhere. I think our teachers are doing that. You can track our seniors and see they are succeeding in all fields."

Financially, Brownsboro has the highest financial rating issued by the state.

"Brownsboro is financially sound," he said. "The district has good financial management at the administrative level."

Irwin has a high regard for the current school board.

"Our board is very fortunate because everybody is on the same page," he said. "No one individual has an agenda or an axe to grind."

Irwin said the board approaches the management of the school on a business format by hiring administrators that will do their job and handle their responsibilities on their individual campuses.

"It's not the board's place to get involved in the day-to-day operations of the individual campuses," he said. "That's very important. That's where boards get into trouble when they try to micro-manage."

Irwin sees a bright future for BISD.

"All our teachers take pride in their students' success and that is a key ingredient to that child's learning experience," he said. "They do a good job in creating that learning environment. We've got some great teachers. I'm really pleased."

Irwin and his wife Tyanne have made Chandler their home for the past 20 years. They have two sons, Matt and Neil, both BHS graduates, and are members of the Cross Brand Cowboy Church in Tyler. He is employed as vice president of Citizens National Bank, in Chandler.

He is chairman of the Chandler Economic & Development board, past president of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce member services committee, and serves on the board of the East Texas Economic & Development in Kilgore.

In his quest for another three years on the board, Irwin said he wants to see the projects that have been on the books completed and to continue his involvement with future decisions of the district.

"I have a responsibility to the board that I take really seriously," he said. "It's our job to provide the tools the teachers need to be successful. It has to work all the way up and down the chain of command."

Donny Wilson

Donny Wilson said he has two goals if elected to the Brownsboro ISD school board in May.

The first, is to establish a more thorough background check for newly hired staff.

"We need to make sure new hired teachers have a more thorough background check due to the past circumstances, " he said.

Secondly, is to finish projects in a timely manner.

"We need to complete projects when we start projects," he said. "The baseball fields have been dragged out over two to three years. It seems like one person is in charge of completing a project instead of the whole board."

Wilson also believes leadership qualities should be instilled in students.

"We, as parents and teach- ers, need to focus on these kids to develop into leaders," he said. "We need to work on areas that will make them leaders."

Wilson, 40, who is general manager of the Peltier Nissan Super Center, in Tyler, said he subscribes to and encourages his employees to follow 10 objectives of leadership: Positiveness, Servanthood, Growth-potential, Followthrough, Loyalty, Resiliency, "Big Picture" mind-set, Dis- cipline, and Gratitude.

"I follow these everyday," he said. "I would like to instill these values in the students. "

Wilson and his wife of 17 years, Sherri, own TLC Storage on Hwy. 64, in Edom. They have three sons, Collin, a junior at BHS; Tanner, a 5th grader at Chandler Intermediate, and Lexton, who attends 3rd grade at Chandler Elementary. The family are active members of the 1st United Methodist Church, in Chandler

He is a 1985 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School, in Tyler, where he played golf, and attended TJC and North Texas University.

A resident of Chandler since 1991, Wilson has coached BMC baseball for the last 11 years. He is also on the Nissan National Advisory Board.