How much is a child’s education worth? For Thomas Barton, it’s “priceless.”
Barton, a Republican, said a second term for him on the Whitfield County Board of Education will “give kids ... the level best in education.” He faces Democrat Nicky Starling on the Nov. 6 ballot for the District 4 seat.
“I’m tired of seeing kids who can’t find a job,” said Barton. “When I graduated in the 1950s, we were talking about walking on the moon and now the world is changing so fast that we have to keep up. I’m thinking, ‘What are our graduates going to be and are they going to be prepared?’ We have to offer the best.”
To get the best, Barton voted in favor of a property tax increase on Sept. 28 that raised the millage rate from 14.756 to 18.756 mills. It’s a vote he stands by.
“We can’t compromise on the children,” said Barton. “The system was going to be broke if we didn’t do this. We have $10 million to prepare for an increasing deficit, but the vote was also needed. I’m confident it was our final and last option.”
The main focus of the board is to “see kids succeed,” said Barton, who believes his “crowning achievement” was breaking a 2-2 tie in a vote that created a new Eastbrook Middle School this year. The school houses close to 650 students and cost $24 million. It is being paid for through an education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST).
Barton also voted for a $800,000 Literacy Collaborative — a program that trains teachers to use intensive techniques to help students develop strong reading and writing skills — that will “be a big help for kids who need it.”
“We are working with Dalton Public Schools to dodge some of the pitfalls they might have seen in their eight years with the program,” said Barton. “Statistics say that if kids are not on reading level by grade three then their success is minimized greatly. This will prevent that.”
Barton said some of his decisions have “received criticism” but he is confident he’s made the process fair for the public.
“When I was on the outside the board didn’t look fair to me,” said Barton. “The majority of the board at that time was not open. I think I have gone a long way in making the process transparent. I tell people what’s going on. I am honest with them. I have four years on my record to show it. I did what I said and said what I did.”
Barton has been a self-described “house husband” since a car accident in 1983 left him with a broken neck. He has two children who attended Whitfield County schools: Kelley, 21, and T.J., 29.
Local News
October 21, 2012
Candidate profiles: Barton won’t compromise
- Local News
-
-
‘It was a brutal time’
Dr. William Blackman, left, explains how amputations were done during the Civil War with a bone saw as Brett Huske looks on at the Hamilton House Saturday. (Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen)
Dr. William Blackman opened a box of tools consisting of medical instruments, including a saw, and proceeded to tell visitors how they were used more than a century ago to amputate limbs for soldiers wounded on the battlefield.
Continued ... - Sweet Pea Tea
- Former Varnell manager resigned as council members questioned credit card use
- ‘You aren’t alone’
- Murray sheriff’s office warns against scam
- Free summer lunches for youth to start June 3
- Restaurant report card — Whitfield County
- Dalton’s Espitia named Gates Millennium Scholarship winner
- May 18, 2013
- ‘D’ is for Dominant
- J.R. Martinez to be grand marshal of D.C. parade
- Instructor posts bond
- Werner Braun: INVISTA employees help with river cleanup
- May 17, 2013
- DPD seeks information in theft of motorcycle
- Dalton, Southeast clash for state
- Dalton team dedicates season to classmate holding onto life
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
